REMOVAL OF TREES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25455, 9 February 1944, Page 5

REMOVAL OF TREES

CURATOR’S REPLY TO CRITICISM BUSINESSMEN VISIT PUBLIC GARDENS "I love trees and hate taking them down, but I have a duty to carry out,” declared Mr John Tait (curator of the Oamaru Public Gardens) to a group of Oamaru business men on Monday evening. “Apart from being sorry,” added Mr Tait, “ it involves a lot of hard work, and dangerous work, too.” This statement was made on the occasion of a visit to the gardens, at the invitation of the Mayor and the curator, of members of the Oamaru Chamber of Commerce, in order to see some of the problems which have to be overcome. Those present were the Meyor (Mr J. C. Kirkness), the curator (Mr John Tait), Messrs H. S. Stevens (president), M. P. Anderson, I. McDonald, F. J. D. Blackerove, J. T. Moore, E. D. Watts, P. C. Faris, A. Bain, D. S. Bain, M J. Hanlev. and J. Meikle (members of the Chamber of Commerce). Towards the end of last year there was criticism at meetings of the chamber, and also in newspaper correspondence, concerning “ the destruction of beautiful old trees which had been standing in the gardens for 70 years.” Mr Tait’s explanation of the work carried out in the gardens was made in answer to this criticism. . Mr Tait pointed out that the trees cut down were decayed and unsafe, that beautiful specimens were being crowded out and spoiled by inferior types, and that it would be unwise and impracticable to allow all the growing trees to reach ?. stage when it would b 6 necessary to make a clean sweep in the gardens. It was desirable to make replacements of the ugly and decayed trees from time to time. Severn Street Entrance The party was met at the Severn street entrance to the gardens, which, the Mayor stated, was recently described by a muchtravelled visitor as the finest in the country. The curator stated that when he came to Oamaru he was disappointed with the entrance to the gardens, and on his visit to the Home Country he was greatly impressed with the entrance to Regent’s Park, London. To extend the vista and improve the gardens entrance, it was necessary to take down the unsafe trees, which crowded and encroached on the entrance, and to replace them with exotic trees. This gave a wider view and a blending of colours, and there was still the background of bie trees. Some of the trees .taken out had been planted 60 or 70 years ago, but'trees in North Otago, stated Mr Tait, did not have a long life. They would never have trees 2000 years old growing in North Otago as at Home, simply because the climate was net rigorous enough and the trees grew too quickly and unfortunately decayed. Some trees m the gardens would have to be replaced every

50 or 60 years. By a policy of replacement, they would rejuvenate tire gardens. His predecessdr had extended the gardens, but he (Mr Tait) felt they had been extended too much, and his object was to improve what was there. It had been suggested that there was a wholesale destruction of trees, but to take out four or five trees in one season was a tremendously big job. Further down the gardens drive, Mr Tait pointed out a symmetrical flowering shrub with which he had become acquainted at the Melbourne Botanic Gardens. This shrub, said Mr Tait, would grow very much larger, and had with i other trees replaced unsafe and decayed poplars. The removal cf these poplars had opened up the gardens to some extent, but when all the trees on the Severn street hill had grown up they would make a beautiful background. Some of these poplars had been quite rotten, and Mr Tait, who had kept a specimen of a poplar trunk, later exhibited it to the visitors, shewing that the cehtre had decayed, leaving only sap and bark a couple of inches thick. He had kept this exhibit, said Mr Tait, as an answer to critics* Mr Tait also exhibited masses of roots of silver poplars which infested the lawns and flower beds and sprung up in a thick mass of suckers. These suckers, said Mr Tait, presented a problem, and entailed a great deal of work in the flower beds, where they would spring up in a fortnight. That was one of the problems with which he was faced. A Thicket Coming to another spot in the gardens, Mr Tait explained that a large black poplar had been removed because it was a potential danger to life, especially children playing about. The pioneers sometimes made mistakes, as they all did, said the curator, as he pointed out a fine oak in the midst of a thicket, where in a space of a few feet were several silver birches, laurels, holly, and other shrubs. No one had had the courage to take down the oak, he said, because people would have said it was desecrating the gardens, but if it had been taken down and some of the rubbish removed, they w T ould have had beautiful silver birches. Other silver birches had been crowded and overhung by the black poplar, and had lost their svmmetry of shape. The people of Oam- , ai-u owed a debt to those responsible for planting the Atlantic Cedar (North Africa), which was a magnificent specimen of a tree but the lovely specimen of Californian White Cedar, a Tree of Heaven, and a symmetrical rata were being ruined by willows. The willows were lovely, but had been planted in the wrong place. Mr Tait also pointed out a specimen of European lime tree, a beautiful and relatively young tree with a trunk some ' feet through and a spread of about 60 feet. It would grow still further, and this was the type of tree planted in Reed street, where they were confronted with a very difficult problem. ■ The Mayor thanked Mr Tait for his enlightening talk, and said he would be glad to make an attempt to persuade councillors to visit the gardens to see Mr Tait’s viewpoint and his problems and difficulties. Mr Stevens also thanked the Mayor and Mr Tait for making the visit possible. Any criticism levelled by members of the chamber had not been in a carping spirit. The gardens were a heritage handed down to them, and they and every good citizen in Oamaru desired that heritage to be carefully guarded. They had enjoyed the visit and talk given by Mr Tait, and now had a knowledge of the difficulties with which he was confronted. Mr Watts said they had a sentimental attachment to the old trees, and he had not brought up criticism in a carping spirit. He appreciated Mr Tait s difficulties and realised he was carrying out a S °Mr ''Ta’it, in renly. said probably in the past not sufficient interest had been taken by the council and citizens in the gardens, and he was delighted to know that people were now taking an interest.