Bronwyn Trathen, Murwillumbah
This is a plea to Tweed Shire Council not to axe mature trees at Budd Park.
1. On the river you have a beautiful, and very valuable, jacaranda. This is an upper-storey tree that frames the river. As a compromise you can take out the lower storeys so you can see the river. Remember, mature trees are very valuable as they take a long time to grow. They provide shade and are welcoming to visitors. If you have only grass people will not spend time there, especially in the hotter months. Mature trees reduce the temperature very considerably.
2. Put a walkway between the parking area and the river, not a road for cars. Cars go along there to the pub and this is unnecessary.
3. The line of rainforest trees in front of the carpark provide much-needed shade for cars of visitors to the information centre. Many of the visitors are elderly and require shade. I know; I was paid to look after the information centre three days a week for over two years.
4. A stone wall can be built out in front of the mature trees. Remember the trees help stabilise the bank.
Please, please look again at this plan.
I am so sorry to have to say this Bronwyn, but they have all been decimated today. I drove past and great sadness filled me to see the remains chopped into neat parcels ready to be ground up.
I called Tweed Shire Council on two occasions last week and this Monday pleading with them not to go ahead, but in vain.
At least they fulfilled my request to check the huge 50 year old mango tree for birds nests (which they weren’t going to do apparently) and there weren’t any.
Now there will be no shade and no protection from wind. The banks will be less stable without huge tree roots holding them. Ah but I am told they are putting huge rocks to stabilise the banks.
Who knows best? Humans or Mother Nature?
There is a good chance that Bruce Chick planted the very old trees and council planted the younger trees.
Council told me that the birds who have used these trees as habitat their whole life can just go find other trees. Well guess what? Other trees are habitat that are fiercely defended by certain birds and to venture there is to risk being attacked and killed.
It’s a vicious world out there in the wild. If only we humans had more compassion for our animal brothers and sisters we wouldn’t be doing these vandalising acts to their territory.
Oh, but then we ‘own’ the planet don’t we? I forgot ….