Parks pledges tree audit

GLENWOODS falling trees have become a worry for Glenwood residents.

Shaik Mohamed Sadack who lives in Bartle Road accused the city of turning a blind eye to the problem. “There have been two incidents where falling trees have either injured or killed a person, but the municipality has said these are isolated incidents. I have complained about the branches of a jacaranda tree which are growing above my boundary wall, but they do nothing. If these break and fall on my wall, the municipality won’t pay for any damages. Why must my insurance pay when we are paying rates for these trees to be maintained?” he asked.

Sadack said recently a heavy truck driving in Bartle Road one night hit a branch of the tree and the power lines, only to reverse and drive away.

“The truck, with a big container took out the branch and hit the overhead wires, which tripped lights in the road. I saw sparks falling down from the wires and went to investigate. I have reported this tree to the municipality and have a reference number, but I get no joy. I have been told the parks department only has one vehicle but I have seen others parked in the yard that they don’t use,” he said.

He suggested the municipality keep branches of the trees short and check them for rot.

“The tree outside the Stella Tearoom is full of white ants. They need to cut back the old branches. Imagine if a child from Penzance Primary School was killed by the tree outside my property. If it was the child of one of the municipal workers, maybe it would be a different story. They have to do something,” he said.

Sadack said he had also reported the broken pavement at the base of the tree, where the roots have uplifted the blocks, but nothing has been done. He said a child had fallen over the uneven pavement recently.

Grahame Steele from the Parks Department said trees were a vital resource for the city and had many environmental and aesthetic values.

“The trees in the old suburbs are old and they do present challenges from a maintenance point of view. All cities throughout the world have the same issues. I would like to see a balanced view on trees and not negative press as these trees have significant historical and heritage in our suburbs,” he said.

Ward 27 councillor, Martin Meyer, said at the Parks District quarterly meeting recently, Parks acknowledged they were behind in tree maintenance in the Berea largely due to staffing issues. He said they had however given an undertaking to do a full tree audit over the next few months, and problem trees would be identified and dealt with.

“Parks acknowledged that they have to replace trees that have died or have been cut down. They budget to plant 20 000 trees per year. If a tree has been removed and not replaced, please notify the ward councillor of this so it can be reported to Parks,” he said.