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Tree Maintenance In Focus

Council’s tree maintenance program is undergoing a restructure which will deliver improved services to the community.

By Bass Coast Shire Council - 17th August 2006 - Back to News

Money has been allocated for additional staff and the purchase of new equipment in the 2006-07 Budget (due to be formally adopted by Council on 16 August).

Council’s Parks & Roads Manager, Fred Huitema said the growing demand for services has lead to a change in the department.

"We will soon have two tree crews operating," said Mr Huitema.

"This will consist of six people, two trucks and two chippers, supported by contractors with specialist equipment like cherry pickers.

"By employing two extra staff, we will be able to provide an increased level of service to the community."

Mr Huitema said that the increased demand for tree services was due to a number of factors. These included the number of trees planted in the streets, parks and roads, along with inappropriate planting and poor pruning practices of the past.

"A good example of this would be the mahogany gums planted in Billson Street in Wonthaggi," said Mr Huitema.

"These trees are not suitable for street planting, due to limb shedding.

"Pruning such trees can actually increase that risk, rather than lessoning it.

Mr Huitema confirmed that there was a program to replace the mahogany gums in Billson Street over the next three to four years, to improve public safety in the area.

"There has been a lot of research done these days about the suitability of particular trees for particular sites.

"For the first time, we now have a certified arborist on staff and another is completing an apprenticeship in arboriculture, "continued Mr Huitema.

"Nowadays councils are much better informed in terms of the types of trees that we plant and how we should deal with the trees we already have.

"This might not seem like an issue, but over three years, it could cost in excess of $3,000 to maintain a tree, compared to an average cost of $1,200 to replace a problem tree."

Mr Huitema confirmed that the two tree crews will be supervised by a dedicated Tree Management supervisor. One crew will focus on responding to customer requests and urgent works.

"We receive about 30 requests for work on trees per week," said Mr Huitema.

"Our staff is responsible for approximately 290,000 trees in the urban streets, as well as many more in the parks, foreshores and rural roads."

The other crew will focus on programmed, proactive works. Mr Huitema said the works will be programmed after regular zone inspections.

"The zone inspections are drive by inspections, to pick up on vertical clearance and obvious safety issues, "explained Mr Huitema.

"We are developing a detailed inspection program to collect information such as the species and condition of trees.

"This will feed into a major works program and jobs will be prioritized according to the level of risk," Mr Huitema continued.

"This way, we hope to be able to anticipate issues and deal with them before they become a problem for the community."

Mr Huitema said the community should contact Council if they had concerns about trees. Council also provided a 24 hour on call service to react to after hour emergencies.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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