TRIMMING OF TREES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25444, 27 January 1944, Page 7

TRIMMING OF TREES

POWER BOARD’S ACTIVITIES A FRANK DISCUSSION Questions concerning the future of Oamaru’s trees were raised between members of the Oamaru Borough Council, the Oamaru Beautifying Society, and the Waitaki Electric Power Board at'a conference held in the Council Chambers on Tuesday night. The Mayor (Mr J. C. Kirkness) presided, and there were also present Dr R. S. Orbell and Mr J. H. Main (Beautifying Society), Messrs J. M. Forrester, N. A. Davidson, R. B. Meek, J. Newlands (Power Board), and Crs A. Wilson, G. E. Glen, H. M. Barclay (Borough Council), Mr John Tait (curator), and Mr J. Branthwaite (town clerk). At the invitation of the chairman, Mr Forrester introduced the discussion. He said the main duty of the board was - to safeguard the power lines. Staff shortages had impeded the trimming of trees in the proper manner by the council, which had a big responsibility with the street trees.

Mr Davidson (engineer) stated that trees which grew close to the power lines were a deadly menace to the power supply. They might interrupt the supply, bring the lines down, or cause damage to wires which might necessitate replacements, which, were becoming increasingly difficult to make. Lately the trees had been trimmed to a certain extent, said the engineer, but this had not been sufficient, .and the trees were beginning to grow again. There were 11 miles of power lines with trees growing directly underneath them, he said.

Mr Davidson's remarks were supported by Messrs R. B. Meek and J. Newlands, Who maintained that the board was just as anxious as any other body to see the town made beautiful, and did not wish to see trees destroyed, but the lines mdst be kept clear from obstructions. “ Not Trimmed, but Mutilated ”

Dr Orbell said he did not wish to speak as president of the Beautifying Society, but just as an ordinary citizen. He definitely thought the board had laid itself open to criticism in the minds of any tree lover. " The trees have not been trimmed,” said Dr Orbell, “they have been mutilated.” In many cases ‘ hunks ” had been cut out of the trees, which had been left as “ monstrosities.” “In my opinion this is no exaggeration,” said Dr Orbell, who further criticised the manner in which memorial trees planted throughout the district had been trimmed. He named three memorial trees in particular, and said he thought it scarcely fair that these sacred spots should be so maltreated. He recognised the necessity for power lines, but, he said, if trees had to be cut to minimise danger to the wires then the job should be done by men who knew something about it, and the Power Board should have an expert to guide it. Mr Main spoke along similar lines, and said there was a vast difference between cutting trees and mutilating them. The trees which had been wrongly trimmed were now something grotesque. The council should definitely have a say in any cutting which was to be done. , The only conclusion that he could arrive at, said Cr Glen, was that the type of tree planted, in many , cases by the . society was the wrong kind. Trees which were' planted under power lines and later were a menace to such lines, as in Reed street, were obviously planted in error.

Mr Main: But. they are very beautiful.

Cr Glen replied that utility had to come before beauty. : They were all concerned about the beauty of the town, said tbe Mayor, but it was quite evident that the trees planted in Reed street had proved unsuitable, and, while they were lovely they were a cause of anxiety, not only because of power interference, but also , because of interference with the underground drainage. Mr Tait endorsed the Mayor's remarks concerning Reed street, and said that, although the trees had been beautiful in the past, the time had come when some action would have to be taken. Case for Power Board

Speaking in defence of tire trimming of trees done by the' Power Board, Mr Davidson said that his men were not expert trimmers, but the matter had been a case of urgency and expediency. Their object had been to remove only the obstruction to the .lines, and there had been no particular attention paid to the manner in which the trees were clipped. The men had been instructed >to deal lightly with the memorial trees. The curator said he would like to dis- N claim all responsibility, on behalf of himself and the council, for any damage inflicted on these trees. Mr Davidson, referring to the problems caused by trees in Reed street, said that the board should not be blamed for 'tne mistakes of other people. Summing up, the Mayor said that the frankness of the speakers had cleared the air, and the Power Board and the curator could be exonerated in regard to the ruinalion of many of the towns trees. Shortages of staff were being felt, and the matter had' been <jne of expediency. The curator had stated that there would either have to be half a tree or no tree at all, and the council would have to reach a decision this matter. Concerning the possibility of power lines being placed underground in the future, the Mayor said the Power Board should take full advantage of this system if it eventuated. Commercial interests should not be allowed to transcend everything, and the town would have to be marked by some beauty. He hoped the board would see this viewpoint, and help to eliminate these difficulties if it was in the bounds of possibility. Mr Forrester said the board was not opposed to the growing of trees, and he himself was a tree-lover. There were manv trees in the neighbourhood which had ‘not been touched by the board, and which were unsightly. u