Doomed exotics in 'perfect health'

Graeme Platt thinks most of the Queen St trees have excellent prospects. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Tree specialist Graeme Platt yesterday inspected the condemned trees on Queen St and took to task independent arborist Gordon Ikin, who has recommended removing 20 trees as part of a $30 million makeover.

Mr Platt, who has been working with trees for 35 years and is a leading authority on native trees, said the exotic trees for the chop were mostly in perfect health and verging on maturity.

"Subject to a bit of nutrition and care, they will go on and serve the city well for another 150 years. It would be a tragedy to remove them because you have got to wait another 30 years to get an equivalent," he said.

Mr Platt did support cabbage trees and nikau palms in little groves but said: "I'm not for the removing of existing trees to do it. Never chop out a good tree. It is a fundamental rule of conservation."

He did agree with the removal of six tooth daisy bushes outside Sofrana House on the corner of Mayoral Drive and Queen St on the basis they were a "scruffy shrub" and not a tree.

Mr Ikin has prepared two reports on the trees between Mayoral Drive and Wellesley St for a resource consent application to remove the 20 trees.

The report makes general comments about the condition and life expectancy of the trees but contains no detailed information on each of them. Mr Ikin, whose company has the contract to replace the trees with natives, could not be reached for comment.

Another arborist, Chris Hinton, said planting only natives was a fad that he hoped would run its course, saying he did not believe nikau palms were suitable to soften the edges of a concrete jungle. Plane trees were.


Experts go head to head

* Six tooth daisy bush (oleria), outside Sofrana House, corner Mayoral Drive and Queen St.
Gordon Ikin: Poor-average condition, life expectancy 0-10 years.
Graeme Platt: Not a tree but a "scruffy shrub". Of no great value and could be replaced with a clump of cabbage trees.

* Liquidambar, outside Methodist Mission Chapel.
Ikin: Average condition, life expectancy 20-plus years.
Platt: A perfectly healthy tree planted in the late 1960s just starting to have some impact on the cityscape. Could do with feeding and a bit more care. Nothing physically or aesthetically wrong. Life expectancy of 120-plus years.

* Two London plane trees, outside Sky City Entertainment Centre.
Ikin: Poor-average condition, life expectancy 20-plus years.
Platt: The trees have hundreds of years of potential growth. London Plane has proved around the world to be one of the great street trees. They are nutrient-deprived but all they require is a bit of fertiliser and basic care. Other than that they are in perfect condition.

* Claret ash, outside Borders Books.
Ikin: Poor-average condition, life expectancy 10-20 years.
Platt: Only a small tree but perfectly healthy. Could be swapped with something else. Not one of my favourite trees.

* Two London plane trees, outside Civic Theatre.
Ikin: Both in poor condition, life expectancy of up to 10 years and 10-20 years.
Platt: Perfectly healthy and no public danger. Rather small and just getting away.

* London plane, corner of Queen St and Wellesley St East.
Ikin: Poor condition, life expectancy of up to 10 years.
Platt: I would like to come back in 100 years and show the arborist he is absolutely wrong. One of the most proven trees to take smog and smoke in cityscapes.

* Oriental plane, outside Oporto restaurant.
Ikin: Poor-average condition, life expectancy 10-20 years.
Platt: Perfectly healthy. Just getting nicely established.

* London plane, outside St James Theatre.
Ikin: Poor condition, life expectancy of up to 10 years.
Platt: Struggling with nutrition problems and could do with a good feed. Otherwise perfectly healthy. It would still be here in 100 years even if you did nothing to it.

* London plane, outside Star Mart.
Ikin: Poor condition, life expectancy of up to 10 years.
Platt: The poorest of the trees. Could do with one of its branches chopped off, some nutrition and it would take off. You show me any tree that doesn't look a bit poor when it is small.

* London plane, outside Gaming Centre.
Ikin: Condition poor, life expectancy up to 10 years.
Platt: Perfectly all right, with a life expectancy of hundreds of years.

* London plane, outside Global Sandwich.
Ikin: Condition average, life expectancy of 20-plus years.
Platt: Flourishing and demonstrates how well the trees will do if left alone.

* Two yellow poplars, outside AUT Faculty of Business and on a traffic island on the north side of Mayoral Drive, were missed on the visit.