Trees to come down from lake

19 September 2014 Contractors will begin removing more than 50 mixed size gum trees from Lake Te Ko Utu in Cambridge next week to further reduce any risk to the public.

Last Sunday, a gum tree fell into the carpark at the lake. While there was no damage done, Waipa District Council's community services manager Tony Roxburgh said the council was not comfortable leaving the trees there.

Last year, the council removed nearly 70 gum trees from the lake after some began falling without warning. Eventually all the gum trees around the lake will be replaced with native and exotic species. The replanting is being done in conjuction with the Cambridge Tree Trust.

Experts had advised council to remove the trees in stages to minimise soil erosion and ensure a successful replanting programme could be undertaken. A planned removal programme was already underway but the trees by the carpark have now been made a priority.

It's very difficult because while trees that have been identified as posing a clear risk have already been removed, the tree that fell on Sunday was young and healthy. There was nothing to indicate any particular problem whatsoever, otherwise it would have already been gone, Mr Roxburgh said.

An expert report commissioned by the council in 2012 showed that a combination of fungal decay, the steepness of the banks, wet weather and shallow rooting systems can make the gum trees unsafe. Many were not deliberately planted but had self-seeded in the 1940s.

They are the wrong trees for that location and over time they need to go - it's really that simple, Mr Roxburgh said. Our priority is to do that in a managed way that puts public safety first and ensures the replanting programme is succesful.

The Lake Te Ko Utu car-park on Albert Street will be closed while work is underway, possibly for up to two weeks. Work will begin as soon as contractors are available.

We'll be removing the trees from the west so as not to damage the car-park. While people can still use the lake paths during that time, they do need to keep away from the site. There will be a logging contractor with heavy machinery working, hopefully accessing the site from Whitaker St.

The Council hopes to offset some of the removal costs by selling the wood.

ENDS

Media enquiries to Jo Ireland jo.ireland@waipadc.govt.nz or 07 872 0030