Lessons With Trees

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31656, 17 April 1968, Page 1

Lessons With Trees

Lessons to be learnt were that large trees must be pruned, aged and diseased trees must be removed and replaced, and certain types of trees should be pollarded, said the Director of Reserves of the City Council (Mr H. G. Gilpin) yesterday.

Mr Gilpin has spent several days inspecting storm damage. Probably no-one would ever know the total loss, Mr Gilpin said. Some trees destroyed were invaluable because of their rarity or splendid development. Some of those damaged would be repaired, but their

full beauty would be spoiled. Others were nearing the end of their lives and the storm took from the City Council the decision on their removal.

In the last respect lessons should be heeded while the public could see results in every public park and garden in Christchurch, Mr Gilpin said.

“Can you imagine what would have happened in Rolleston Avenue with the aged and diseased elms and other trees which were taken out some years ago?” he asked. “There would have been untold damage and danger.” The same applied to other areas where trees scheduled for removal came down in the wind. Many trees, like many fences, came down because they were due for replacement anyway.

The Botanic Gardens were hardest hit, Mr Gilpin said. Next were the Bottle Lake plantations where damage had not yet been estimated. Some recovery would be made from the sale of wood.

“There is enough work to keep us going for 12 months,” Mr Gilpin said. The reserves department would go over all its property in three stages—removing dangerous limbs and leaning trees and clearing up debris which prevented public access; pollarding damaged trees where necessary; undertaking the long and skilled job of tree surgery. Mr Gilpin said that he had considered bringing in extra staff, but decided against it because workers needed to know what they were doing. One of the big trees blown over near the Barbadoes Street bridge was a Zelkovea of which there were only two other good specimens in Christchurch —one in the Botanic Gardens and one in North Hagley Park. Ample stocks of specimen trees were available for replacement, Mr Gilpin said, but they would take a long time to grow. This emphasised the lesson that systematic removal and replacement of mature trees was essential for continuity. Another lesson was that pollarding willows paid off. Those topped in this way received little damage. Some not treated came down.

New young trees escaped damage or simply keeled over because they did not have a firm footing. They could be restored. At least one tree would be planted for every one lost, Mr Gilpin said.