More than 100 trees to be removed near Sala St in Rotorua

Tree over the road on Sala St in February. Photo / Andrew Warner

Increasing weather events and storms have prompted a plan to remove more than 100 trees from the reserve area near Sala St.

The project will be a joint effort between the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Rotorua Lakes Council, and Scion, who each own land from which the trees will be removed, the regional council said in a statement.

The removal will start in July and was prompted by the disruption and damage to property and infrastructure due to the falling and shedding of the trees.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council rivers and drainage area engineer Kerry Smith said increasing weather events and storms raised the risk of tree falls, and proactive action was needed.

“We’ve had a hectic year for falling trees in this area. One particularly big one came down across Sala St in February, falling onto the powerlines, across the walkway, and hitting a nearby house,” Smith said.

“We’ve also had trees and tree debris regularly falling into the stream, which can cause isolated flooding.

“It’s become a safety issue for the community, as well as a costly one, with ongoing clean-up impacting ratepayers.”

Rotorua Lakes Council assessed the trees to identify which posed the biggest risk, based on their size, proximity to other trees, or their age.

Scion operations lead Rick Todd said many of the trees that will be removed were exotic eucalyptus varieties, commonly known as ‘gum’, which were prone to falling in high winds.

“Gums are not deep-rooted trees, so can become top-heavy once they reach a certain size. High-risk and potential risk trees will be identified for removal, to ensure the area is safe for many years to come.

“Some of these trees are significant as they were once planted for scientific monitoring. If we identify a tree as being the only kind of its species in the area, we will look to capture its seed for preservation.”

The removal of these exotic trees provided an exciting replanting opportunity, extending the native planting work that has been carried out upstream, the statement said.

Todd said their aspiration was to see a resilient and thriving forest surrounding Puarenga Stream, bringing health and wellbeing to the community, the ecosystems, and the environment.

Works are scheduled to begin on July 3, weather permitting, and would take approximately four weeks to complete. During this time, there will be minor disruption to those passing through the area.

While no trees will be felled onto Sala St, there will be intermittent road closures as a precautionary measure.

Traffic management will be in place and detours will be clearly signposted.

The trail through the trees may also be closed at times and this will be signposted. If the walkway is open, pedestrians and cyclists are advised to take care when travelling through the area as there may be heavy machinery at work nearby.

The project team asked anyone travelling through or near the area to plan their journey in advance.