Talks seek to secure tree protection

Councillors fear many Auckland trees will be lost unless action is taken. Photo / Paul Estcourt

A council committee will today consider its response to a recent law change that allows trees to be trimmed without a resource consent.

The law change - introduced last month - means trees on private property that aren't protected on the district plan can be trimmed and, from January 2012, they will be able to be cut down without a consent.

Auckland City Council's City Development Committee will this morning consider options to update or review their list of protected trees.

Another option is to make a public call for more trees to be nominated and to change the district plan so those trees are protected before the new Super City is introduced in 12 months time.

Environment Minister Nick Smith introduced the change to trimming limits to free up council officers' time, after councils told him scrapping rules protecting trees of a certain size would create too much work listing individual trees.

Councillor Glenda Fryer told the Herald the committee had to make changes to the district plan to protect trees before the Super City was introduced.

The new Super City would have just over a year to make changes before the 2012 deadline which "wasn't enough time", and she feared many trees would be lost.

"It is foolhardy and irresponsible for council not to schedule more trees," she said. Once trees are scheduled onto the district plan they are immediately protected.

Ms Fryer said Auckland's "tree heritage was under threat" and that any costs associated with her proposals were small compared to what the cost would be to the visual environment.

The Tree Council is urging councillors to actively encourage Aucklanders to put forward trees for scheduling. Chairman Sigrid Shayer said the council was concerned the committee would choose to do the minimum in response to the tree protection changes.

"Using the forthcoming new Auckland Council as an excuse for doing little is no excuse," she said.