Masterton stump gets stay of execution

Masterton district councillors agreed this week to have damage trimmed away from the Queen Elizabeth Park redwood stump to retain its integrity for up to five more years.

The redwood stump in Masterton's Queen Elizabeth Park will not be wrenched from the ground and carved up but its tenure may be limited.

Masterton district councillors agreed this week to trim away damage to the stump caused by vandals and to take measures to extend its life but have been told by experts that in another five years the stump could be beyond saving.

The council's Parks and Open Spaces task group had wanted to take the stump out and use its best parts to carve some sort of image to commemorate the giant tree which had to be felled after being badly damaged by a lightning strike in 1988.

Taking the stump out was dropped as a solution after an on-site meeting earlier this month at which people put forward last-ditch ideas to save it.

These included having the damage to the sides of the stump trimmed off and to preserve the remainder of the stump along with replacing information signs inside the gazebo that surrounds the stump.

These told the story of the redwood trees planted in 1877 by W.W.McCardle and had been taken down after vandals scratched and defaced them.

At a council committee meeting on Wednesday it was agreed to let the stump remain and to do the work needed to prolong its life.

It was also agreed to photocopy the information signs and to post the photocopies inside the gazebo.