Tree risk plan to open for feedback

THE Surf Coast Shire will seek feedback on a new policy on how to handle risky trees across the municipality, and residents in coastal communities are expected to be particularly interested.

At their meeting last month, councillors resolved to release the five-year review of the Tree Risk Management Plan (TRMP) for four weeks of public consultation, starting on January 23.

Previously adopted by the council in October 2017, the TRMP is required to be reviewed every five years.

According to the latest plan, the sheer quantity of trees across the municipality “prohibits an individual tree assessment approach” as the time involved to inspect and then schedule works “would be extensive and prohibitively expensive”, so the shire instead developed the TRMP to establish a management system for the inspection and treatment of trees, with set intervals and response times for dealing with any issues.

Shire-managed facilities and properties that contain trees are allocated into five zones, ranging from Very High Risk (shire buildings and facilities such as carparks, kindergartens and clubrooms) to Very Low Risk (shire-managed rural road reserves), which designate the type and timing of scheduled tree inspections.

Speaking at the meeting, Cr Gary Allen said tree removal was “a hot topic in our communities”, particularly in Lorne.

“The tree canopy is very much part of Lorne’s unique character and I appreciate the council’s need to balance the aesthetic and environmental value of trees with the safety of the public and the protection of assets clearly in mind.

“However, we should be mindful that the value of trees is all too often undervalued.

“I would really encourage residents in the shire to respond to the plan.”

He said it was important for the community to understand the shire was obliged to undertake the TRMP and regularly review it to follow recommendations from the coroner’s office about local government responsibility in the management of trees, which were made after a death caused by a large tree limb in Bendigo in 2013.

Cr Mike Bodsworth said the plan was a great example of a systematic approach to risk management.

“Trees can obviously be hazardous, they’re one of the many hazards present on the land that we manage, you can’t get rid of them so you need to manage them and manage the risk.

“Our part of the world, our municipality is notable for its trees and for its bush so it’s really essential for us, to retain that character, to manage that risk.”

The TRMP notes tree removals are not within its scope, nor are several other issues, including tree planting, tree pruning, protection of trees during construction, assigning a monetary tree value, street trees and new vehicular crossovers, or trees on private roads and private property.

A report will be presented to the council after the public consultation period.