DEATH row for a tree poisoned in Albury’s Guinea Street two years ago will come to an end this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The plane tree was scheduled to be chopped down in January last year, but was given a stay of execution after a plea by Albury councillor Murray King.
But the 12-month reprieve has not resulted in the tree, sited between Kiewa Street and the Star Hotel, reviving.
“Sadly the tree didn’t make it,” said Cr King, who lives nearby.
“There’s a lot of greenery there but that appears to be out of the bark.
“One side may have survived but the other side is dead and that means there is potential of it splitting down the middle and falling on to cars and people’s houses.”
Cr King said it would be costly to remove the tree “but we could face a million-dollar lawsuit if it fell and crushed some person walking their dog”.
The tree will be replaced by a mature Chinese elm with a height of four metres.
Cr King said an investigation revealed herbicide had been applied via the holes and the case remained open with Albury police.
At the time of its anticipated axing last year, Albury Council’s acting director of engineering Greg Whorlow said the prospects for the tree surviving were “low to zero”.
“The regrowth is almost entirely distorted (witch broomed) and lacking normal stem production,” Mr Whorlow said.
“This regrowth will not be sufficient to sustain the tree and large sections of the canopy’s cambium layer (vascular system) will die.”
A Border arborist, who did not want to be identified, said the removal was wise.
“In the bush that tree could stand for another 100 years but I don’t think I would take that risk in the middle of town,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cr King has defended the council’s removal of lines of 90-year oak trees in Griffith Street.
“Some of the trees were dead and would have come out anyway and others weren’t far from it,” he said.
“I’m comfortable that everything possible has been done by the council to liaise with Griffith Street people.”
Cr King said the street needed attention because “it had no gutter and the road was concaved”.
