Call for action to change attitudes to trees in Tauranga

Tree campaigner Mary Dillon has launched a bid to form a community tree education and support group in Tauranga. Photo/file

Leading tree campaigner Mary Dillon wants to reverse community attitudes that focus too much on getting rid of large trees in Tauranga.

She proposes forming a tree support and education group to get the message across that trees matter and it was not all about them being a nuisance.

"There is a huge amount of ignorance about how we live with trees," she said.

Mrs Dillon said that all too often trees were only about the inconvenience they caused to homeowners, with the city arborist spending too much time worrying about trees being removed.

"He has a tough job in Tauranga."

The former city councillor said Tauranga needed to look at trees as being an integral part of the city's landscape.

"They have a job to make the city look good. We need to start thinking holistically about what they mean."

The pressure on large trees was increasing through the council's compact city policy to promote intensification.

Mrs Dillon said the common factor from people who wanted to fell trees was how much of a nuisance trees were. "It comes through every single time ... we need a general change of attitude about the value of trees."

She has joined the Grace Road and Avenues Neighbourhood Residents' Association and was alerted to the felling of a large tree on a subdivision developed on the grounds of the former Norfolk Hospital in Grace Rd.

Five years ago the association succeeded through an Environment Court appeal to protect ten of Tauranga's most notable groups of trees in a bid to keep the city looking as green as possible.

One of the groups of trees was on the former hospital property and the felled tree, a 22-metre high English oak, was part of the protected group.

Nearby resident Bevan Hogg called the tree "a grand old lady of Grace Rd".

He was concerned that the rot in the oak may have been linked to subdivision works four years ago, and others in the group of protected trees may be next.

"We don't have many of these old girls left. My concern is that we are slowly getting rid of big trees in the city"

Council parks and recreation manager Mark Smith said many requests had been received to remove trees in Grace Rd's protected group of trees.

He said the oak tree had developed a fungal infection and had to be removed. "We can't say when exactly the infection was contracted, only that the fungus would have entered the tree in a place which had lost its bark."

The weakening of the tree through the infection meant that pruning was not considered.

He said the tree had been inspected regularly over the past two years and there were no signs of rot in other trees in the group.

"Council received a request to remove the tree about 18 months ago, prompted by a resident who noticed a cavity in one of the stems that had a hive in it."

Mr Smith said the council paid the $6250 (excl GST) removal costs because the protected tree had become a health and safety risk and met the definition for emergency removal in the City Plan. It included the use of a crane.

Mrs Dillon said that unfortunately, the oak had to go. There were circumstances where trees needed to be felled, and this was one of them. Trees that were dead, dying and diseased should be felled and replaced.

Why large trees were important
- Pathways for bird life and insects
- Beautified the city
- Help manage groundwater through roots
- Lungs of the city by absorbing CO2
Source: Mary Dillon