Cutting down a 146-year-old tree at a historic Ōtūmoetai property was the “right decision” and its limbs shattered like “grenades” as they were removed, an arborist says.
The bunya bunya pine tree at former Tauranga mayor Greg Brownless’ Category 2 Historic Places property on Grange Rd was listed on the council’s Notable Trees Register as being more than 26m tall.
Brownless applied to the Tauranga City Council for an urgent removal order in April, saying falling limbs had endangered people living nearby.
Groundzone Tree Care Cambridge arborists began cutting the tree down on Tuesday, and completed the job on Wednesday night.
Company owner Matt Trott said he had thought hard about removing the tree, but “reluctantly” agreed.
“The tree, which had a canopy of 28m, was stunning, and we didn’t want to cut down a protected tree, but some of the large branches were shedding off it even in mild weather.”
He said removing the tree was a “complex operation” involving a team of five.
The tree’s trunk measured 1.4m in diameter, and some branches were up to 8m long and “extremely heavy”. The property’s driveway was too steep to use an ordinary crane.
Instead, Trott said they used a specialised hydraulic grapple saw mounted on a truck, which securely clamps on to the tree branches and trunk.
He said the grapple saw could reach up to 33m, and when used with a large aerial basket, the team could safely reach and remove high branches and trunk sections from the ground.
“Some of the branches being removed were so brittle they shattered into pieces as they hit the ground. It sounded like grenades going off.
“We also removed a dead wattle tree and a lopsided liquidambar beside the bunya bunya.”
Trott believed removing the tree was the “right decision” given the significant safety risk it posed.
An 8m section of the tree’s base was taken to Waikato for milling and would be turned into outdoor furniture.
Brownless said it was “very sad” to see the tree come down after seeing it daily since he bought the property nearly 40 years ago.
“I understand people get attached to trees, but in the end the tree had become a major danger and demonstrable hazard after it was regularly shedding large branches.”
He said some of the branches weighed up to 80kg.
Brownless said his greatest fear was someone would be seriously injured or killed.
“I couldn’t bear the thought of knowing I would be totally responsible if one of the falling branches had hit someone and caused their death.
“I had no choice but to get the council’s approval to remove it.”
Brownless said he also donated sections of the trunk to a local woodcrafters group, and had kept a couple of the large branches as “keepsakes”.
Avenues resident and Tauranga City Council Urban Design Panel member Phil Green earlier challenged the removal order and sought a stop-work order.
Green also filed a complaint with the Ombudsman’s office, but the Ombudsman declined to investigate until he had exhausted all avenues of resolution with the council.
Green told the Bay of Plenty Times he intended to pursue his complaint with the Ombudsman.
A council spokesperson said the council had no further comment.
Brad Cadwallader, a trustee of the NZ Notable Trees Trust, also fought the removal order and said the trustees would meet to decide whether to take further action.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post and has been a journalist for more than 26 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, and also general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.