Newcastle community members are concerned over the harsh and “unsightly” tree pruning undertaken by Ausgrid around powerlines, so much so that a community petition has been launched through NSW Parliament.
The e-petition on NSW Parliament’s website outlines the “detrimental impacts” of harsh tree pruning on Newcastle’s local community and the urban forest.
“Communities around the city and NSW are outraged by the significant loss in visual amenity, tree canopy benefits such as urban cooling, and the increased risk of tree failure following heavy pruning undertaken by Ausgrid.”
Community petitioner Matthew Mooney said that energy companies needed to show an environmental and social conscience.
“There’s a climate change conversation happening at every dinner table around the country, yet we’ve got energy companies tearing down our suburban forest,” Mooney said.
“When people see that the place that they call home has had their trees vandalised in this way, it’s an emotional thing.”
Consulting arborist Ian McKenzie has 30 years of experience in the industry and said the tree pruning was overzealous and beyond what was required to satisfy guidelines.
“The extent of this pruning is too great in my opinion; it’s just not good for the trees and reduces their useful life expectancy, carbon storage, and the ability to cool,” McKenzie said.
“These are all issues which are really important with climate change, and we need to do better. We need to be retaining the trees and as much of the tree canopy as we can.
“Trees require their foliage to photosynthesise and produce energy, which is what sustains them. They also require energy to repair and recover from pruning wounds.
“If there are lots of small pruning wounds, the tree will be able to recover quicker and easier compared to the impacts of major wounds.”
McKenzie, who is also the past president of the Institute of Australian Consulting Arboriculturists, said he had seen Ausgrid and other pruning companies do a better job in the past.
“The history is that they can do better. When the community complains, these companies start improving their practices, but when they aren’t being monitored, the trees slowly start to look worse again,” he said.
“I think it comes down to their contract and the need to work fast and reduce the number of visits, which means they are going to prune a lot harsher.
“The NSW Government has recognised urban forest benefits and set targets at 40 per cent urban canopy coverage, but we are not going to be able to achieve that if we keep butchering street trees. It can be done a lot better, there is no question.”
Ausgrid told NovoNews that the company recognised the value of street trees and had worked closely with the council to balance public safety with street amenity.
“Ausgrid meets regularly with Newcastle City Council and is working with it and its arborists to look at options of tree trimming in the area,” Ausgrid said.
“This approach has been working well and includes pruning practices, identifying sites with inappropriate species, and working with the council on a remove and replace program.
“The last meeting between Ausgrid and Newcastle City Council was last week, May 26 and the next meeting is in a week.”
Ausgrid said it employed arborists, horticulturalists and specialist maintenance crews who followed strict guidelines and network standards to trim trees near the electricity network.
“Ausgrid trims trees regularly to keep powerlines clear and help keep lights on during storms and bushfires. On average, more than two-thirds of outages are caused by falling trees and limbs,” it said.
“The trimmed trees look different, and in some cases, a lot of vegetation has to be removed, but they are trimmed to the national standard, which makes them grow back healthier and away from the powerlines.”
The petition endorsed by State Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp calls on the NSW Liberal Government, National Government, and the NSW Minister for Energy and the Environment to direct Ausgrid to:
Review their vegetation management policies and pruning practices; investigate the installation of aerial bundled cables in the tree-lined streets of Newcastle to reduce the need for harsh pruning; review how often trees are pruned with a view to increasing the frequency, so such harsh pruning is not required; and engage and consult with the Newcastle community regarding tree pruning expectations.
Online petitions have recently been introduced by the NSW Parliament and will remain open for three months.
Hayley McMahon