50 year old tree in Whangārei CBD chopped down after workers find large crack

Pedestrians on Cameron St will notice a striking difference today after one of its oldest trees that had been condemned by several arborists was taken down as part of a health and safety measure.

Just before Christmas, workers clearing the guttering on one of the nearby roofs had noticed a 500mm crack in the stem of the large tree outside Michael Hill jewellers.

Though the heavy branch had been secured with strops to minimise any risks to public and property, two independent arborists confirmed the crack had compromised the integrity of the stem and that it needed to be removed.

Whangārei District Council's technical officer of the Parks and Recreation Department Stuart Jackson said while it was disappointing and sad that the tree had to go, council had to act responsibly as this was an emergency situation.

"We inspected the tree on Monday and noticed that the crack had gotten worse over the Christmas period. We have considered metal bracing around the branch, but neither of the arborists recommended that. If the tree falls, it would cause a lot of damage, so we had to make a quick decision," Jackson said.

Five workers started taking down the tree at 5pm yesterday in what Jackson described as a "slow and difficult" procedure.

Suspended from the top branches, the workers were carefully dismantling the damaged stem and other branches that were then lowered down to the ground. Due to its location, felling the tree was not an option.

Council believes the tree is a 12m East African mahogany planted as part of the Cameron St mall development in the 1970s.

"I've been protecting this tree for many years, and I'm very sad to see it go. We are aware that people will have different opinions on this, but either way, it will have a major impact on Cameron St."

With its canopy spreading over 20m, the trees had been offering shade and shelter for shoppers. Cameron St will now be brighter with likely more wind exposure.

Jackson said council had been working with the nearby businesses to ensure they are aware of the disturbances while workers are dismantling the tree.

Manager of the Strand Mall Merv Williams said its removal was a necessity as the tree was causing danger to the public.

"It's a horrible thing to see it go. New Zealanders don't like to see trees taken down, but there are no two ways about this."

Williams said while the tree was providing shade in front of the mall, its leaves were regularly cluttering the roof of The Strand which was rotting the guttering and costing the business $5000 a year.

"Just two weeks before Christmas, we had the roof cleaned. During the heavy rainfall the week before Christmas the gutters were overflowing, and we had a major water leak in one of the shops because the leaves had clogged up everything again."

The arborists that had assessed the tree had considered options to remove the stem to save the tree but concluded it would adversely affect its shape, resulting in poor health for the tree.

A neighbouring jacaranda, a much smaller tree that the mahogany, will also have to be taken down due to its proximity.

However, there is a jacaranda tree growing in an adjacent planter pit, and council hopes to improve its shape and long-term amenity value once the larger tree is removed.

While all of the small branches have gone through the chipper, council will keep the sizeable trunk with a girth of approximately 2.4m with the hope of using the timber for future projects.

"We haven't made a decision yet what we will be doing with the space once the tree is gone," Jackson said.

"We've discussed this with our landscape architects, and we will wait and have to see until everything is removed. I imagine that we might be planting a new tree, but we wouldn't be able to that before winter anyway. At this stage, we don't want to force a decision."