Parks and Reserves Highlights January 2019 by Athol Sanson
January, 2019
What a contrast we have had weather-wise during January - in the last four weeks the region has gone from green to brown.
The extreme wind that we have received has added to the region drying out and has caused us issues on the Parks with minor tree damage. Over the last two weeks the news has reported two significant tree failures in Queenstown and Auckland that has resulted in injury to a member of the public.
This month I thought I would highlight how we care for our regions trees to make them as safe as possible for residents and visitors to our parks. Unfortunately no amount of maintenance on our trees can make them 100 percent safe in periods of high winds, and walking or parking near large trees should be avoided in extreme weather events.
Our region is really blessed with large trees that are a real feature of many of our parks, and our thanks for this must go to our early planners. With large trees comes a responsibility for their ongoing care, as they get older they require more care to see them into old age, just like people!
In 2016 we developed a new operational guide called the “Urban Tree Guidelines” which outlines the way we look after our trees. This guide covers everything from new tree selection to approved RDC contractors.
Our new tree selection is our starting point for care and we carefully choose the correct tree for the location it is being planted into. In the past, no thought was given to what a small tree would mature into, resulting in issues like we are experiencing today with large trees in unsuitable locations. Trees are chosen for wind resistance, ultimate mature size, hardiness to our weather extremes and ornamental value.
Trees are being mulched and you can see this in Marton Park along Follett Street. Mulching helps the tree in a number of ways, first it covers the roots so that mowers will not damage them. It also reduces our dependence on roundup and locks in moisture for the summer months.
During 2015 we commenced tree assessments in all our parks, our trees were assessed for overall health and if they had any defects that would cause them to fail or go into decline. The 2015 assessments resulted in a number of trees being removed, the most notable of which was a mature pine growing in Marton Park.
The tree over the years had developed many stems, and where the stems joined the trunk they had grown apart, resulting in the formation of an "inclusion". An inclusion causes water to penetrate the tree causing rot - this would be the number one reason we remove trees in our parks.
Trees are also assessed for deadwood in the canopy, as deadwood would be the first to fall during high winds causing somebody a significant injury. We cannot take the risk of not caring for them, and while it is an expensive undertaking, healthy long-lived trees in our parks are what makes our parks great places to visit.
Highlight for February
On the 11th February we will commence the new skate park build in Centennial Park. Marton and the region will offer a point-of-difference from any other regional skate park. I will update you on progress in February’s article.
That’s it from me enjoy this beautiful weather and get out and enjoy the many events held on our regions great Parks.