Treetools attended the "Stop the Chop' public meeting held at the Grey Lynn Community Centre last evening. The hall was packed to overflowing and all of the speakers, including those from the audience, spoke with passion about this vital tree protection issue. There may have been some property developers in attendance, if so, they kept a very low profile. It seems hard to believe the Government is prepared to remove a council's right to make their own decisions regarding tree protection in their community.
If you are unaware of the situation this is part of the Governments plan to streamlinethe Resource Management Act (RMA) - most speakers at the meeting agreed the RMA needed a tidy up but this was likened to taking a sledgehammer to cracka walnut. It is proposed that local councils will no longer be able to enforce general tree protection in their district plans. But urban trees form avital part of any city environment. This is the very reason many countries have introduced legislation to protect mature trees in urban areas. ImagineAuckland without its trees - not a pretty sight!Arborists and anyone working the urban treecare business would be wise to take note of these developments. If you are a short term thinker it could beconsidered good for business (taking down trees) but long term your very industry (and business) is at risk. Under the current laws an arborist or treespecialist is bound to be involved in any application to council for tree removal or corrective pruning. If the new law is passed anyone with a chainsawwill be qualified to do the job - not much need for an arborist! If this doesn't sit well with you click here to find out what to do about it.
