General News
16 August, 2024
People give a fig
A LAST-minute plea to save a large fig tree at Freshwater has been made to Cairns Regional Council (CRC).
Freshwater vet, resident and self-professed 'tree man' Dr Paul Matthews is urging the council to do everything it can to keep the tree in Le Grande Park. “As a result of Cyclone Jasper – and CRC’s lack of a proper tree maintenance program – the fig shed some of its large boughs,” he said.
“This prompted the council’s arborist to declare the tree affected by a fungus and to have some structural damage, both of which are manageable.
“If CRC had a tree care and maintenance program, involving regular pruning and mulching, this would not have happened.
“A longstanding complaint to CRC from a neighbour about the roots of the fig invading her property was enough to give the council the excuse to raze this beautiful shade tree.”
Dr Matthews said medical research showed that in the world’s increasingly heated environment, mature shade trees were critical in providing cooling and mitigating the adverse health effects of rising temperatures.
“It is counter-intuitive to be cutting down large shade trees in our parks, at a time when rising temperatures are having increasingly negative effects on our health and wellbeing,” he said.
“It is hoped CRC can give an extension to the execution date for the fig, so an independent arborist report can be prepared in the hope it can be saved.”
Dr Matthews estimates the tree is 80-years-old. He said the council had taken seven months to decide to cut it down.
He said if the council had pruned the tree regularly and provided mulch underneath the tree could survive.
Dr Matthews and residents unsuccessfully fought to save another fig tree near the Freshwater tennis courts two years ago but he was part of a successful bid to keep the fig tree, known as T5, in the Cairns City Library grounds.
Councillor Kristy Vallely, whose division includes the Freshwater fig tree, said unfortunately the tree could not be kept – “and everyone knows I love, I am obsessed with trees”.
“A conservative management plan has been in place for this tree since 2016,” she said.
“The tree does have a fungal infection and is dropping limbs. The tree is impacting on several surrounding houses, (the) council has tried multiple methods of root barrier to prevent this occurring.”
Cr Vallely said there were an estimated 600,000 trees in the council’s area – most on council-owned or controlled land.
She said ratepayers could not afford to “individually manage each tree” and that was why there was a management policy and operational plan that balanced cost with risk.
A council spokeswoman said the fig had been monitored since 2016 and there had been pruning and root guard works in a bid to maintain the tree and protect property.
“The tree is suffering numerous defects, including an untreatable fungal infection (Pyrrhoderma noxium) and decay in the crown, resulting in branches falling from the tree in recent years (before, during and after Tropical Cyclone Jasper),” she said. “Consequently, the tree poses a public safety risk to residents using the park.”
The tree will be removed later this month and replaced with a suitable species.
