C.C.C. warns about split trees

Press, 22 January 1988, Page 1

C.C.C. warns about split trees

By

GLENIS CARROLL

People concerned about the stability of trees on their property after Tuesday’s gale should seek advice from private tree contractors. The deputy director of the Christchurch City Council’s parks and recreation department, Mr Craig Oliver, said the council was unable to assist people with damaged trees unless the trees were registered specimens. Several people had sought help from the council but it did not have the staff available to handle private tree clearing, he said. To check the damage to trees on their properties people should look for limbs that were bent at a different angle, or seemed out of place in the tree, Mr Oliver said. “The strength of the wind was such that it seemed to break most branches right through and they should be wary of loose branches caught higher in the tree,” he said. People should also make sure trees did not rock at the base, he said. “If a tree does rock and it is young they should be able to stake it, but if it’s an older tree it may not recover,” he said. Before removing any branches that were caught in wires people should contact the Municipal Electricity Department. The full extent of the damage to trees in the Botanic Gardens will not be known for at least a month. The foreman, Mr Kevin Garnett, said while staff had been busy cleaning up the obvious damage in the last two days, each tree would have to be checked thoroughly for cracks. The gardens reopened to the public yesterday but Mr Garnett warned that people should not walk under the trees as not all of them had been checked yet. “There are still loose hanging branches in some trees that you can’t see from the ground and people should be careful in the worst hit areas, such as near the art gallery,” he said. Some of the damage would only become apparent as the leaves of branches died and over the next few weeks staff would be systematically checking the higher branches of all the larger trees.