Proposed plan changes to protect 1800 more trees

Letters are being sent this week to owners of 1800 notable trees that Auckland Council wants to protect by adding them to a list of 3960 existing trees scheduled in district plans across the region.

About 4000 trees were nominated by the public, environmental groups and many local boards in response to law changes effective from 1 January 2012, removing blanket protection for non-scheduled trees in urban areas.

All nominations were assessed by council arborists who reported that about 2,200 did not meet assessment criteria under the Standard Tree Evaluation Method (STEM).

The criteria include size, form, age, visual contribution to the landscape, and historical significance. STEM is widely used by arborists and endorsed by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture.

On Monday, 12 December, the council will publicly notify plan changes amending the operative district plans of six former city or district councils in the region to include additional trees – Papakura, Manukau, Franklin, Waitakere, Rodney, and Auckland city.

Submitters have until 17 February 2012 to make a submission. The former North Shore City Council notified a plan change in 2010 and submissions have already been received.

Councillor Ann Hartley, chair of the Regional Development and Operations Committee, said that as well as to people who nominated the trees, letters will also go to neighbours, statutory bodies, utility companies and iwi.
“All trees proposed for scheduling will be published on the council’s website on 12 December with address, assessment, and photograph. Interested parties can also call council planners on 09 301 0101 for further information.”

Councillor Hartley said the council had done a lot to protect more trees in the urban environment.

“The emphasis is on identifying those trees in the community that are truly notable and, for a variety of reasons, make a contribution to the local amenity.

“We accept that we are not going to please everyone in this process. Tree owners and other affected parties can contest assessment reports and ask for a re-assessment,” she said.

Check before you chop

Changes to the Resource Management Act removing general protection of trees on private land in urban areas from 1 January 2012 do not apply to trees listed for protection in district plans

In many parts of Auckland, larger, unlisted trees on private land may still be protected. This means you will need a resource consent to fell or remove the tree.

The council urges tree owners to ‘check before you chop’ to find out what trees you can or can’t remove or prune by phoning 09 301 0101 to avoid possible prosecution and a fine.