100 years to grow, two days to disappear

A TREE on Bluff Road in St Leonards, believed to be more than 100 years old, was felled without consultation, according to local residents.

When resident John Wobbles arrived, workers had already begun removing the tree. The tree service crew, hired for the task, estimated the tree’s age to be about 100 years.

When Mr Wobbles returned the next day, all that was left was a pile of woodchips.

“It is a shame considering the age and size of the tree and also the protection and nesting opportunities it provides many of our native bird species,” he said.
“A real shame!”

Bellarine Bayside, responsible for a 17-kilometre stretch of coastal Crown land on the northern Bellarine Peninsula, manages more than 5,000 trees between Portarlington and St Leonards.

In a statement, Bellarine Bayside explained the reasons for the tree’s removal.

“Unfortunately, the mature Monterey cypress within Bengalat Reserve was recently recommended by the arboriculturalist for complete removal due to several factors, with the main reason being water pooling in a major junction and creating rot within the integral parts of the tree.

“The tree was also experiencing longitudinal major cracking and suffering from a disease called cypress canker, for which there is no cure. These factors, combined with the close proximity of this tree to several campsites, resulted in the Arboriculturalist recommending removal.”

While Mr Wobbles acknowledged community consultation for every tree removal might be impractical, he said these trees, in particular, held special significance.

“As far as the local environment is concerned the trees provide soil stabilisation and shade as well as nesting habitat for native birds such as the red rump parrot, the rainbow lorikeet and magpies, just to name a few,” he said.

“Over the last nine years, at least six of these magnificent old trees have been removed.

“If this continues, there will soon be no more of these magnificent trees left along Bluff Road.”

In 2022-23, about 5,700 indigenous plants were planted along the coast.

Bellarine Bayside told this newspaper that they were planning to plant several new trees shortly in the vicinity of the cypress.