Residents have welcomed a decision by council not to carve a road through the regenerating native bush to fell the trees. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Residents have welcomed a decision by council not to carve a road through the regenerating native bush to fell the trees. Photo / Brett Phibbs
The removal of 13 pines trees in Auckland's Western Springs is on hold while residents and protesters hold talks with Auckland Council to minimise the impact on the significant ecological area.
Both sides have appointed an arborist to assess the trees and discuss the best way of removing the pines while minimising damage to the native undergrowth.
Vaughan Clutterbuck, whose home in West View Rd looks through the stagnating and dying pines to Western Springs lake, said council had turned the corner and shown a real interest in trying to understand the residents' point of view.
He welcomed a decision by council not to carve a road through the regenerating native bush to fell trees.
"What the forest needs is a bit of renovation, rather than a demolition," Clutterbuck said.
Western Springs resident Vaughan Clutterbuck said council had turned the corner and shown a real interest in trying to understand the residents' point of view. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Occupy Garnet Rd spokeswoman and longtime council critic Lisa Prager said both sides were acting in "good faith", but protests would stay in place until the issues are resolved.
"We welcome council's new-found flexibility and hope it heralds a new era of engagement between council, residents and community.
"The local community has been clear throughout this process, that what they want is a 'joint management plan' with council for the entire urban forest." Prager said.
Council community facilities general manager Rod Sheridan said that last night a council arborist met with an independent arborist appointed by the residents to discuss the reasons and method for removal of the 13 trees. These discussions will be completed by the end of the week.
"We met with the residents again this morning and made good progress on a way forward, which sees us remove the risk to people and property and addresses the concerns regarding the impact of the methodology on the significant ecological area.
"Another meeting has been scheduled for next Monday where we hope to agree on an approach," Sheridan said.
Lisa Prager, spokeswoman for the Occupy Garnet Road protest group, in the stand of pine trees at Western Springs. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Residents have been pushing for some of the dead trees to be removed by helicopter, but council arborists believe this is not an option because the tree trunks are rotten on the inside, are unsafe to climb and could shatter if lifted by a chopper.
Auckland Council cited emergency powers to chop down the 13 pines trees, prompting residents and politicians accusing council of flouting its own resource consent processes.
Last week, council's acting head of operations Simon Randall said due to the seriousness of the risk, the 13 dead and dying trees will be felled under the emergency provisions of the Unitary Plan. This did not circumvent a separate resource consent application to clearfell all 200 remaining pine trees in a 3.2ha block behind Western Springs lake, he said.
Mike Wilcox, a retired professional forester and urban botanist, said the pines at Western Springs are the oldest big stand of pines in Auckland at nearly 100 years old.
Wilcox said he had been in Western Springs and from what he could see the trees had stopped growing years ago, are stagnating, dying on their feet and dying one-by-one.
About 300 pines have already been removed or died in the past 20 years, and 62 per cent of the remaining "are either dead, have heavily reduced canopies, have sustained damage by fire or are visually displaying poor health", according to council.
Wilcox said there had been lots of reports by competent arborists into the pines at Western Springs in recent years, but it was news to him that suddenly 13 have become immediately hazardous and cannot wait for the planned general felling.
The area is designated a Significant Ecological Area.
