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While little remains of the Snells Beach Norfolk pine at the centre of a development controversy last month, its felling may have sparked a ‘bigger picture’ conversation.
When addressing Auckland Council last month, New Zealand Tree Council secretary Dr Mels Barton referred to the Snells Beach pine as the worst example of a tree being cut down in recent times.
Dr Barton added that more than 90 per cent of urban trees have no protection.
“Auckland has lost one-third of its trees in the last five years so in 10 years, there won’t be any left,” she said.
She said that inaccuracies in Council mapping of scheduled trees had lead to protected trees being cut down.
Council acknowledged this problem and launched a review of Scheduled Trees in August, and Mayor Phil Goff apologised for the recent accidental felling of a number of scheduled trees in Avondale.
Councillor Penny Hulse said the review was critical, and supported Dr Barton’s suggestion that the addition of labels on protected trees was practical for recognition.
Dr Barton also asked Council to re-open the nomination process for scheduled trees and wanted interim protection for nominated trees. She said Council should also consider making it free to schedule a tree instead of imposing a consent fee.
The Mayor said the money required to make consents free was not available and that despite many trees being felled, 1400 were planted daily.
However, Dr Barton said she was dubious that those being planted would ever reach the maturity of those being cut down.
