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Council to conduct audits on preschool treesLatrobe City Council has initiated an urgent safety audit of trees within and overhanging all Council owned preschool properties. By City of Latrobe - 9th March 2005 - Back to News The audit will be conducted by Latrobe City’s arborist, and follows the loss of a tree limb at the Murray Road Preschool in Newborough during winds at the weekend. The fallen limb damaged a shade sail in the children’s play area.
Mover of a motion calling for the urgent audit at Monday night’s Council Meeting, Councillor Tony Zimora, said the fallen limb incident drew attention to a difficult problem faced by local government, which was striking a balance between quality of the environment and public safety.
Latrobe City’s Chief Executive Officer, Paul Buckley, said the trees at Murray Road Preschool had been assessed in January 2005 following storm damage. "While no potential problems were revealed during that assessment, no tree can ever be guaranteed one-hundred percent never to fail in the future," Mr Buckley said.
"The trees at Murray Road Preschool are mature species of remnant native vegetation which would have existed at the time the preschool was built on the site. A decision would have been made at the time the preschool was built to retain as much tree canopy as possible for shade and environmental purposes.
"The audit that is being implemented will report on the existing status of any trees that are either in the grounds of Council preschools or overhang preschool premises. Our arborist will prepare a report on the types of trees planted, their current health and their potential to create problems in the future," Mr Buckley explained.
"The arborist’s report will be considered by Council at its May meeting. At the moment trees are only removed without Council’s specific approval if they are deemed dead, dying or dangerous.
"Tree matters tend to generate a lot of emotions in our community. Opinions are likely to range between residents who believe all trees should be protected at any cost, to those who consider tree removal from public space such as kindergartens will secure a safer environment.
"It’s important that we as a community act on the best advice and in a way that is rational and sustainable. Solutions might lay in replacing certain species or trimming trees in certain ways. That’s where the arborist’s audit will be vital," Mr Buckley said.
"It should be noted that this special audit is in addition to those inspections undertaken at a number of preschools in recent times, and will be specifically focused on providing Council with the means to make considered decisions.
"Obviously, if any of our audits reveal a situation where a tree is deemed dangerous, immediate action will be taken to make safe the situation, as the safety of our preschoolers is paramount," Mr Buckley concluded.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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