Some of the oldest and largest trees in Invercargill's Town Belt will soon be removed, as scheduled felling work to address safety concerns begins next week.
Invercargill City Councillors made the decision to take down the trees on Elles Rd and Queens Dr last year, after extreme winds in October caused a 25-metre-high pine tree to fall into traffic.
Infrastructure and Growth Committee Chair Alex Crackett said Councillors recognised the value of mature trees, but the safety of the community had to be prioritised.
“These are massive trees that could cause serious damage the next time we have a strong wind event,” she said.
“We’re incredibly lucky no one was injured in the storm last October. It’s our responsibility as elected members to take action to keep the community safe, and that’s what we’re doing.”
More than 60 trees would be felled in total, including 27 large macrocarpa trees on Elles Rd and 12 of similar size at Ōtākaro Park on the corner of Queens Dr and Don St.
Removing the trees would require temporary traffic management and road closures on several arterial routes, including Queens Dr, Elles Rd and Tay St. Pedestrian and cycling paths in the Town Belt would be closed in the areas that were being worked on.
“This will be a highly skilled operation with stringent safety measures in place, including an exclusion zone around the work area,” Crackett said.
“We know there will be some unavoidable disruption. We really appreciate the community’s patience and understanding while we get the job done.”
Invercargill City Council Manager Parks and Recreation Caroline Rain said some of the trees were thought to date back to the earliest plantings in the Town Belt in the 1870s, and their loss from the city’s canopy was not taken lightly.
However, the removal would present an opportunity to create a rejuvenated public space in Invercargill’s Town Belt, she said.
“When the original city gardeners planted these trees 150 years ago, they couldn’t have imagined the modern city that would grow up around them.
“Now, guided by our Tree Plan, we can replant the space in a way that ensures the right trees are put in the most appropriate place, where they won’t become problematic for future generations.”
The estimated overall cost of the project would be approximately $500,000, although a portion of this cost could be offset by selling any timber suitable for milling.
Following the tree removal, a landscape plan would be prepared for the Elles Rd block, with the intention of better utilising the reserve as a prominent public space at the entrance to the city centre.
Rain said the design would incorporate the yet-to-be-constructed Reconnecting Communities sculpture, which had been donated to the city by the Invercargill Public Art Trail Charitable Trust.
“With the landscaping, we aim to rejuvenate the space and ensure it remains a valuable and much-loved part of Invercargill’s Town Belt.”
Work was scheduled to begin on the Queens Dr trees on Monday 27 July, while work on the Elles Rd block would follow in the first two weeks of August. Road closures and diversions would be notified via Antenno and on Council’s website.
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