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Tree removals

Tree health | Current | Completed

Tree health

Concern about the poor health of Oak trees in Auckland was raised in 2001. An intensive investigation of Oak trees showing symptoms of decline (twig and branch dieback, epicormic growth, trunk cankers, bark loss and tree death) was conducted in the Auckland area during 2006.

Auckland City Council has lost a significant number of mature Oaks in Auckland Domain and One Tree Hill Domain over the past three to four years. Although we are taking some measures such as spraying bicarbonate soda on leaves to reduce the incidence of Powdery Mildew, there is little else we can do until a more specific cause is identified.

See One Tree Hill Domain Oak trees for information about the testing and removal of trees in One Tree Hill Domain.

You can also read more about the investigation of oak tree decline in the Auckland region on the New Zealand Plant Protection Society website

Current

Orakei Reserve tree removal

Public safety concerns have prompted the Ngati Whatua o Orakei Reserves Board to start removing 30 trees on the Kitemoana Street plateau of the Whenua Rangatira.

The 28 poplar trees and two eucalyptus trees, managed by the council as part of its parks maintenance programme, are generally in poor condition (as assessed by a council aborist) or have collapsed.

A number of trees have collapsed in the last few major storms, so removal and replacement is considered the best option. The trees were originally planted to address soil stability issues and excessive ground water seepage, they were planted with a long term plan to remove and replace.

The Whenua Rangatira Reserve Management Plan supports removing exotic trees and replacing them with suitable native species. The trees have reached the end of their useful lives, and allowing new native trees to flourish will help with the ecological restoration of the Whenua Rangatira, for future generations to enjoy. The trees are not generally protected as exotic trees are not protected on the Whenua Rangatira, only native trees are protected - as per the Management Plan policies.

The works are a collaborative approach between council and Ngati Whatua, as council maintains the area where the trees are located, but it falls within the Whenua Rangatira land parcel. Replanting work will be undertaken by Ngati Whatua staff using plants that are eco-sourced from the local area.

The works are expected to start on Monday 21 January 2008 and will take approximately 3-5 days depending on weather conditions. The area will be replanted as part of the ongoing restoration planting program that Ngati Whatua manages on their land.

Completed

Manukau Foreshore Reserves pine tree removal
Churchill Park pine tree removal
Heritage Rise Reserve eucalyptus tree removal
One Tree Hill Domain oak trees

Manukau Foreshore Reserves pine tree removal

Background

Auckland City Council began the second stage of selected pine tree removals from the Manukau Foreshore Reserves in February 2007. The project is part of a longer-term 20 year plan supported by the Mt Roskill and Avondale Community Boards that will eventually see the removal of all pine trees from the Manukau coastal edge.

The Manukau coastal edge is largely dominated by regenerating native vegetation which is of high ecological significance. Pine trees are classified as a weed species in ecologically important areas due to the self-seeding nature of pines and their dominance and suppression of native vegetation. The gradual removal of pine trees and the rehabilitation of indigenous forest will encourage native birds and other wildlife in these areas.

The trees were chosen because they were in poor health and frequently lost branches. Broken branches and tall unstable trees can cause significant damage and poser a threat to the safety of power lines, roads and the public in the area. Selected trees will be removed from Taunton Terrace West, Blockhouse Bay.

Replanting

Replanting with indigenous species, that provide a food source for birds and management of invasive weed species, took place in June 2007. Sites will be monitored for 4 years thereafter with weed control and further replanting being undertaken as required.

Churchill Park pine tree removal

Pine tree damaged by termites

In May 2005, following extensive testing, research and recent risk assessments, council arborists removed approximately 250 pine trees on the south western side of Churchill Park. The trees had widespread structural damage as the result of being termite-infested, and posed a significant risk to public safety.

The trees were approximately 70 to 80 years old and were a unique feature of the park, but reached the end of their useful and safe life expectancy. The council's 1996 Churchill Park management plan notes that the pines would need to be progressively removed and replaced with native vegetation.

Approximately 90 hazardous pines in the area were removed for similar reasons in 2001. In late 2004, the city sought specialist advice from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) about the state of the grove. MAF reiterated the council's conclusion that the mature pines had severe damage from termites and were unsafe.

Image showing termite damage to the pine trees.

Images show termite damage to the pine trees.

Two hundred and fifty native specimen trees were planted in September 2005 to replace the removed pine trees. Replanting the site with suitable natives, as outlined in the park management plan, will continue for at least three years and possibly up to five depending on the success rates of the new plantings.

The end goal is to completely replant the whole area where the pines once stood with a view to establishing a significant grove of native trees for future generations to appreciate.

Expert reports about the health of the trees are available below for viewing in PDF format:

To view PDFs download Acrobat Reader from the Adobe website. Further help on how to view PDFs.

Heritage Rise Reserve eucalyptus tree removal

Five Eucalyptus trees located in Heritage Rise Reserve, (19-21 Summerhill Place, St Heliers) are being removed because of their poor condition, and the health and safety issues they present to the adjacent residents.

A council arborist has visually inspected the trees on a number of occasions in the last two years. Earlier this year a large branch failed without warning. An independent arborist was then engaged to undertake a full assessment of the trees. He undertook a detailed assessment of the trees and made a recommendation to remove them. The recommendation was based on the declining health and condition of the trees.

Council then applied for a consent to remove the trees based upon concerns over public safety and the potential for private property damage. The consent was approved by Auckland City Environments in July 2006 on a non-notified basis. Council has determined that only five of the ten trees need to be removed. These five trees are in close proximity to private properties and access driveways.

Work will commence on Monday 11 September 2006 and is expected to take 2 days to complete. There may be minor disruption to traffic flow in the street as a large crane will be used to assist the tree removal works. Council appreciates your patience during this time.

Replacement planting is a condition of the resource consent and council will consider undertaking suitable replacement planting in the next available planting season.

Image showing the condition, and health and safety concerns of the trees

Images showing the condition, and health and safety concerns of the trees

The arborists report is available below for viewing in PDF format.
Heritage Rise Reserve - Arborists report (112kb PDF)

To view PDFs download Acrobat Reader from the Adobe website. Further help on how to view PDFs.

One Tree Hill Domain oak trees

Bark peeling from a dead Oak

In May 2005 it was necessary to remove 12 dead English Oak (Quercus robur) from One Tree Hill Domain. Testing of samples taken from dead trees was carried out by Forest Research institute (FRI) however results have been inconclusive as to the specific cause of tree death. It is possible that the deterioration of trees is not a result of any one causal agent, but is a combination of a number of factors including tree age, drought stress, powdery mildew, leaf minor, soil fungai and climate change. The tree deaths within One Tree Hill Domain follows that of English Oak death across the wider Auckland area including recent reports of tree decline in Whangarei and Kaikohe.

Other parts of the world, particularly the America's and Europe, have experienced widespread mortality of Oak trees. This has been attributed to a complex interaction of environmental stresses, pests and diseases. It is as yet unknown whether Oak tree deaths in the Auckland region have any relationship to those overseas.

Auckland City was concerned that during the summer of 2005/2006 further trees had deteriorated/died within One Tree Hill Domain. Trees had begun to collapse creating a health and safety risk. Due to public safety the removal of a further 15 trees in April 2006 was necessary. One Tree Hill Domain is a site of high archaeological/geological importance. Restrictions have been imposed on the methods of tree removal, such as the requirement to use a crane during tree felling to ensure the protection of the site.

Replacement planting with Algerian Oak (Quercus canariensis) was carried out during winter. Algerian Oak is of a very similar form and habit to that of English Oak however is considered a hardier species resilient to many of the problems effecting English Oak.

A team of specialists made up from representatives of ENSIS (formerly Forest Research Institute), Biosecurity NZ part of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), Landcare Research, and Auckland arborists are presently looking into the Oak decline problem. The latest tree removals provided an opportunity for further in depth testing of Oak samples from dying trees. Auckland City is hopeful these tests may provide evidence of possible causes of death which will allow the development of a plan to benefit Oak trees across the Auckland region.

Dead oak trees

Reviewed - February 2007