New policy aims to keep Carterton green and leafy

TREES under power lines and over water mains are just some of the problems that Brian McWilliams, Carterton's recreational assets manager, hopes to overcome with the approval of a street tree policy.
Carterton District Council approved the Street Tree Policy in a meeting last Wednesday, with the twin aims of improving the town's appearance and avoiding harm to residents' or council services.
The draft policy had been available to the public for submissions.
Trees have often been planted in wrong places in the past, Mr McWilliams said, or the wrong species has been chosen, with the result being damage to water pipes or power lines, or a dangerous barrier to driver visibility.
One example, Mr McWilliams said, was a sequoia tree on top of a manhole cover.
"How do you deal with an issue like that?"
When the sequoia was removed, the water pipes had been lifted out of place.
Law changes mean councils now have to trim trees away from power lines, Mr McWilliams said, although he wonders aloud whether the power companies should be responsible if the trees were there first.
This would be the case in Rexwood Street, which Mr McWilliams said was "probably one of the better" plantings in Carterton. A Dr Bakewell gifted kowhai trees to thank Carterton for his time as a GP there in 1930s.
Rexwood Street was good because of the uniformity along the street, Mr McWilliams said.
But some streets had six different tree species, and others had camellias trimmed by residents in different styles, instead of being left to grow so that they wouldn't be a sight barrier for drivers.
While these problems often need to be dealt with, Mr McWilliams said the street tree policy was "more so they don't happen into the future".
"We can have guidelines so we aren't seen to be cutting down anything for the sake of cutting it down."
Mr McWilliams avoiding cutting down a problem magnolia tree in Wyndham Street, and camellias in another Carterton Street, by transplanting them to Memorial Square.
The street tree policy also lists examples of suitable trees for planting, including silk and birch trees, and trees that are unsuitable ? notably London planes, which are susceptible to fungal disease.
Elm is listed as another unsuitable tree because of disease, and gums, poplars and willows caused problems with their roots. Other trees were inappropriate because of their seeds or fruit, visibility difficulties or an inability to stand up to wind.