Historic tree cull for Masterton

FELLING TIME: The bell has sounded for some of Queen Elizabeth Park's historic trees, as the paperwork for the park's biggest felling programme is signed off.

The biggest tree felling and maintenance programme ever carried out in Masterton's Queen Elizabeth Park is due to start late this month with tenders for the work to be done closing on Monday.

In all, 132 trees - on Memorial Drive, around the park lake, the boat shed, cafe area and in Pioneer Cemetery - will be involved, with about 48 of those to be felled.

The remainder will have varying degrees of maintenance carried out ranging from lifting the canopy of the trees to formative pruning and cutting out dead branches.

Oaks, elms, conifers and other species of exotic trees are earmarked with most - being 57 trees - located along Memorial Drive, including oaks planted to commemorate the fallen of World War I and World War II.

Work will also be done on 10 trees in front of the cafe, 15 at the south-western end of the lake, 12 at the upper carpark, 11 behind the boat shed, 11 at the bottom carpark island, and 14 at the lower carpark.

There will be 15 trees felled in Pioneer Cemetery.

The tender is being offered by Masterton District Council as a lump sum contract with a decision to be made on the successful tenderer on July 16 and a work start date between July 21 and July 31.

All work is scheduled to be completed by August 15 and the successful tenderer will have to ensure a staff member holding a minimum of a Level 4 Arbour Certificate is on site, supervising all work being done.

Parks and Open Spaces Task Group chairman Gary Caffell said yesterday the work was being done as part of the staged rejuvenation of the park and after a public walkabout last January which aimed to inform people what was happening.

Mr Caffell said he realised people would be concerned over the felling and maintenance plan and he had already fielded calls. However the trees to be felled had become a danger and would be replaced.

"But, I am confident we have done all we can and the trees that need to come down are all definitely past their use-by date."

A tree audit done last year that followed assessments done over 10 years had identified the trees that needed to be dropped and Mr Caffell said that those who had gone on the January walkabout had all shown an understanding of what the council needed to do.

One of the conditions of the tender documents is that the contractor who secures the work, and site personnel, are not to make any comments to news media or members of the public regarding the work being done.

All media and public enquiries are to be referred to the project manager.