UHCC push forward with felling of Heritage Beech Trees
- NZ Empowered
- Aug 23, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 19
UPDATE:
10th Sept 2024 Update
Update from Tracey Ultra via Email on the questions around Katherine Mansfield Drive Tree Felling - 10 Sept 2024. Thanks Tracey for the update of where things are at.
The Katherine Mansfield Drive(KMD) trees trunks were offered by the developer to Marae’s and Menshed. The council staff are following up on this to find out who accepted the offer. The onsite ecologist had recommended their relocation due to lack of space for all 14 of them to be left in the bush - and crush the understory. There is also an official information request on this question.
The developer is Stuart Adams and he owns the land being developed into 31 lifestyle blocks on Bellbird Rise. The land that the trees were on is the (public) road reserve leading to the development. One of the private properties along the road has a QE2 covenant so the arborists had to take extra care not to disturb the neighbouring beech trees.
The work done during the orange weather warning was to cut down and mulch the canopy (accessed by cherry pickers) and mulch the understory. While we had some spells of heavy rain in the valley during this time, it wasn’t windy.
This was terribly distressing to some residents at Katherine Mansfield Drive (KMD). And a wake up call for me to find that current rules enable this. I can only assure you that the loss of trees had been minimised as much as possible and the resulting road will have curves and less width to retain trees.
My small contribution was to collect baby beech tree saplings that had survived the mulcher. Heather and I saved what we could. Tiny beech trees are safely waiting in the bush at my house for when residents at KMD are ready to plant them on their QE2 land.
26th Aug 2024 Update
People are writing letters here....another chance to get views out...Just scroll down a little on the page to see them. https://uhconnection.co.nz/community-commentary
Treescape arrived Monday morning and started the job of felling and clearing, even through the pouring rain and flooding around the region. For all those following there has been an article in The Upper Hutt Connection....
From all accounts the Upper Hutt City Council seem to be pushing forward with the felling of reportedly approx. 400 year old Beech Trees at the end of Katherine Mansfield Drive (419a to 423 Katherine Mansfield Drive) on Monday 26th August.
Thought we could consolidate all the articles we have seen on this tradegy for Upper Hutt heritage flora.
Click the envelope to email the Council to save the Beech Trees
Below is a template of an email to send through to council to attempt to save the trees. Click the box and once it opens copy what you would like into an email to the council
Upper Hutt Council Info and Sustainability Plan
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Credit where credit is due. A commenter on this article has said:
For those Upper Hutt residents appalled by the upcoming carnage of centenarian trees (some born in the 1700s), it must be acknowledged here that CR Tracey Ultra was a lone but consistent supporter of those trees within the city council. She also supported the alternative option of a short one-lane passage to save them, as can be seen on busy SH12 in Waipoua Forest.
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Trademe Listing for Sections
Located at the end of Katherine Mansfield Drive, Whitemans Valley and set in a sheltered natural amphitheater amongst protected native bush, all within close proximity of city centres (approx. 10 mins drive to Upper Hutt town centre, 40 mins drive to Wellington CBD).
