Diane Hart, MullumbimbyChip me now
Last Friday the Tallowwood Community lost another huge tree that formed part of the ancient Mooibal Spur and koala habitat shelterbelt.
How did this happen? Because there are virtually no laws that protect trees – there is always a way round it if a landholder wants to get rid of one and, at local level. I believe Council’s hands are tied and there is little they can do about it, because we have a deeply flawed legal system that favours developers.
Land that contains large trees like this majestic brushbox is being subdivided all over the Shire, and the death knell sounds for most of them.
In this case a recent development application (DA) by the owners of this block was knocked back because the tree was protected. However, this otherwise healthy tree, with a superb canopy, and no dead limbs, was deemed to be dead/dying or diseased in a subsequent report by an arborist, contracted by the owners. It did have a long scar in the trunk (healed over) and it was considered by the arborist and Council that the safety of the tree could be compromised. Council staff said they had no choice but to sign its death warrant, otherwise they could have been sued.
But most trees of that age in National Parks look like they have taken a battering from storms, lightning strikes, pest and disease. But most of them recover and live, if they are lucky, for another few hundred years.
If we want everything to be pristine, perfect and entirely safe then we will have to resort to a plastic, sterile landscape.
This tree formed an integral part of a drastically dwindling habitat of incredible diversity and was home to dozens of species of plants and animals – seen and unseen – and we are all the poorer for losing it.
Developers should not be allowed to subdivide land into building blocks that contain significant trees and vegetation – whatever they promise.
I found out about this tree’s demise at a local LandCare meeting on Friday night when we were discussing a plan to plant some six inch tubestock in a weed degraded spot in this shelterbelt. I thought – what is the point when we can never replace a tree of the size and age that was lost today? The irony – it was on the eve of World Environment Day.
I’m getting on a bit – I have quite a bit of bark knocked off me, my limbs are creaking, my roots are grey and my trunk is full of scars. So please, just get the chainsaw out and chip me up – now!
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