Auckland's Western Springs pines saved from the axe by local board vote
Tuesday, 17 March 2020
A controversial proposal to remove 200 pine trees from Auckland's Western Springs has been scuttled.
The Waitematā Local Board voted on Tuesday to reject the plan to fell the trees, which was expected to cost $760,000.
Auckland Council first earmarked plans to cut the trees down in 2015 when it determined they were declining rapidly and posed a risk to public safety.
In January, Auckland Council confirmed a resource consent had been granted to remove the trees, following an appeal against the original consent to the Environment Court that was settled in mediation in September.
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However, the final decision was left to the local board.
Society for the Protection of Western Springs Forest spokesman Steve Abel said he was pleased with the result.
'I'm stoked. What it means is we can now have a community plan.'
He said clear felling the trees, which were planted almost 100 years ago, wasn't an option.
'As a starting point we all agree we want to see a thriving native forest and we all want to see safety for all users,' Abel said.
'But none of the trees require emergency removal. There is no need to cut them down on safety grounds. We need to make the time to come up with a plan B.'
Under the group's alternate proposal, any trees that are an immediate threat to safety can be removed, but the rest of them should only be removed on a staggered basis as the native vegetation and trees take hold.
Local board member Sarah Trotman voted against the proposed removal of the trees.
She said she wasn't convinced the new native trees the council wanted to see planted would survive if all of the pines were cut down.
'I think a more thorough tree assessment needs to be carried out.'