Chainsaw threat to exotic city trees

One of many trees on Queen Street which will be cut down. Picture / Dean Purcell

The Auckland City Council is readying the chainsaw to cut down 20 exotic trees in Queen St, many of which appear healthy and have an estimated lifespan of more than 20 years.

The trees' removal is part of a long-term strategy to do away with liquidambar and other large exotic trees for a native planting theme of smaller cabbage trees and nikau palms.

The aim is to bring a distinctive New Zealand flavour to Queen St.

But the removal of exotic trees, many of which are flourishing after decades of slow growth, has angered some councillors and members of the public.

Architect Julie Stout, who was a member of Mayor Dick Hubbard's urban design task force, said the city did not need "misguided nationalism in the Queen St landscape - just comfort and pleasure".

"Nikau palms and cabbage trees are never going to provide the presence or the shade of the current trees," she said.

Children's advocate Lesley Max said she would chain herself to a beautiful tree "rather than allow this unseemly and unutterably undemocratic process to continue".

There was no greater hypocrisy by the council than to prosecute developer George Bernard Shaw for the destruction of a giant pohutukawa in Mt Smart Rd and then commit "mass vandalism" in Queen St, she said.

Councillor Faye Storer said she had expressed concerns about providing the best species of trees to reduce the air pollution in Queen St but had been ignored at council workshops. Going with native trees sounded like a "politically correct road", she said.

Councillor Glenda Fryer was "uneasy" about cutting the trees, some of which are more than 30 years old.

In a gesture to the geographical and historical zones in Queen St, the council plans planter basins in the area reclaimed from the sea. There will be nikau palms in the old stream valley between Shortland and Wellesley Sts, cabbage trees from Wellesley St to Mayoral Drive where there was once a swamp, and northern rata trees up to Karangahape Rd.

CBD project leader Jo Wiggins said the plan was to replace exotics, and the council was still deciding which trees to cut down in the rest of Queen St.

Two audits by an independent arborist, Gordon Ikin, said 20 of the 36 trees between Mayoral Drive and Wellesley St were in poor or average condition and should be removed. Many were in locations and in conditions not conducive to proper growth.

The audits made no mention of any disease or immediate danger to the public from the trees and said most of the threatened trees would live up to 10 years, some up to 20 years and five for more than 20 years.

A visual inspection of the trees yesterday found several scraggy specimens - mostly on the eastern side of Queen St between Wakefield St and Wellesley St - and several healthy- looking specimens.

The Auckland Museum's botany curator, Ewen Cameron, said he valued exotic trees in the suburban landscape but the idea of a native tree theme was appropriate for Queen St.

Some natives, such as the titoki tree, did incredibly well in urban surroundings.

Mr Cameron said cabbage trees were very tough and made a fine street tree. Nikaus in the open looked a bit scruffy and were best in a forest. 

For the chop

* 20 exotic trees between Wellesley St and Mayoral Drive:9 London planes
* 6 tooth daisy bushes (oleria)
* 2 yellow poplars
* 1 liquidambar
* 1 claret ash
* 1 oriental plane
* 20 cabbage trees will be planted