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Council & Business

26 September, 2022

Amphitheatre tree to stay following council decision

An historic more than 150-year-old peppercorn tree in Amphitheatre’s Bakery Park will not be removed following public outcry, Pyrenees Shire councillors have decided. The tree was planted in the 1870s by the Clark family who ran the local...

By Christie Harrison

Amphitheatre tree to stay following council decision - feature photo

An historic more than 150-year-old peppercorn tree in Amphitheatre’s Bakery Park will not be removed following public outcry, Pyrenees Shire councillors have decided.

The tree was planted in the 1870s by the Clark family who ran the local bakehouse, and in August council announced it would be removed due to its poor structural integrity including a large split in the trunk, wood decay and fungi — however after public outcry, the decision was put on hold.

Following the pause on the tree’s removal, several community members were able to voice their views on the issue at council’s Community Cuppa session held in Amphitheatre on September 13, with the feedback detailed during last Tuesday’s ordinary council meeting.

“The general consensus was that the tree be heavily pruned to at least 50 percent of its current size and that the tree be monitored for further decay or structural deterioration,” a report to council read.

“The community advised that children often climb on the tree, and should council look to retain the tree in any form, then it is recommended that action be taken to reduce access to the tree by relocating picnic tables and by way of a suitable fence, with appropriate mulching below the tree to reduce the need for mowing in the vicinity.”

The officer’s recommendation to councillors at the ordinary meeting was to undertake a structural reduction prune of the tree, relocate picnic tables and fence the tree off to restrict access by children, and continue to monitor the tree to mitigate the risk of it falling.

Councillors accepted all recommendations and in moving the motion, councillor David Clark said it was fair to “have a crack” at saving the tree.

“I think it was a really good and informative discussion we had with the Amphitheatre community and they came with some clear views and we had some good information to relay to them, and I think out of that we all walked away with a pretty good understanding of what we could do,” he said.

“I think it’s very fair that council, from its original consideration of potentially having to remove the tree, should at least have a crack at trying to save it (the tree).

“Whether we can save the tree, I think is something we’ll know in six to 12 months. The solution proposed today (September 20) is a very practical one in the context of what we can do and recognising that history.”

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