Tree removal advice? not L.R.

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Originally Posted by isuzurover

Some people have copped HUGE fines because of this. Ignorance is no excuse.


Xavie - councils won't see it your way (garden = tree). Maybe submit a revised proposal to remove the tree and plant native trees/shrubs instead. You can put in lower growing ones or ones that will still let light through. That way you can argue that the streetscape will be improved.

To be honest, I can see some sense in the tree removal laws (sometimes). There are plenty of developers who used to go through and bulldoze everything, then plant a few trees later.

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I offered to plant what ever they suggested. I said I'd plant 5 natives and if they had other suggestions to feel free to state and I would follow.

The inspector told me that it is due to it being an old tree and similar to many others is what makes it fit in to the area so a newly planted tree up to 12 years old would not give the same feel/aesthetics etc.

Xav

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Originally Posted by Xavie

I wish they would Rosco. But these councils will then require engineering reports etc.. payed by me and we are talking a few grand. To have the tree removed it is up near the 3 grand mark already.

It is well within my land.

Xav

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Send me the relevant photos and measurements ... I'll be happy to help .... gratis. It would also help if you google the tree type or ask your local gov forestry mob if the particular species is known to suck heaps of water from the surrounding soil. It varies somewhat from species to species.

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Originally Posted by Xavie

I offered to plant what ever they suggested. I said I'd plant 5 natives and if they had other suggestions to feel free to state and I would follow.

The inspector told me that it is due to it being an old tree and similar to many others is what makes it fit in to the area so a newly planted tree up to 12 years old would not give the same feel/aesthetics etc.

Xav

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Well that is just silly...

When I got my shed plans approved by council, I got a bit frustrated by the council guy. I called for advice while the main guy was on holidays, got the relief guy. He wanted engineer approved footing design. When I submitted them, the normal guy asked why I had bothered to get the footings approved - said I had wasted my money as it wasn't necessary... :rolleyes

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Originally Posted by Rosco

Is it in your yard, or on the footpath. In any event send them a formal letter advising you will be holding them legally responsible for any future damage that may occur to your home as a result of tree roots under the footings and/or soil shrinkage as a result of the roots drying out the soil.

I'll bet my fender wheel nuts they back down pronto ... :twisted:

Edit 1: As a rule of thumb, trees should not be allowed within 1.5*mature height from the footings.

Edit 2: Get your local friendly consulting structural engineer to write a letter advising the tree poses a threat to your dwelling ... providing the above applies, and include it with your missive ... :bat:

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If you take the above suggested approach, try a work the safety angle into your submission also - you know branches dropping on kids etc.

Roger

I agree with the tree clearing laws too. However based solely on aesthetics is a little dumb.

My dad and his partner are classics for this. They buy a block of land and immediately want it cleared for the 'farm' look. Use the excuse of fire danger etc but there is no real reason. They don't have any farm animals. They just push it all over anyway.

However if their neighbours did it they would get stroppy as they like to be around trees just not on their property.

What is the species/genus of the tree? I couldn't find anything under Golden Cyprus.

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Originally Posted by 100I

Funny isn't it. My last house was in Ippy council and when I once rang to ask permission to prune some BIG Iron barks I was told there was actually no VPO on the area whatsoever and that I could decimate anything I liked (and was actually encouraged to chop the tree than try to save it by only pruning).

Now I'm building within BCC and it's a whole new world, I've had to clear some trees for a building envelope but every one of them is accounted for and MUST be replaced with natives including in my case 5 spotted gums.

And yet there is lantana growing at the front of the property across from mine and no one seems to care! There's buds all over the ground on my block but I don't have a snowball's chance of eradicating it because there's a plentiful supply of seeds 200m away.

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I have two friends in a similar situation on near Brisbane acreages. They spend a lot of money each year spraying and grubbing out groundsel and lantana and also seem to get an annual threatening letter from the council requiring them to do just this. What irks them is that the source of infection is the uncontrolled mature groundsel trees and lantana growing thickly on nearby council lands. On a windy day in the season you can see clouds of groundsel seed blowing away from the trees in the council lands. The council properties are a "water catchment area" and chemical pesticides may not be used on this land or on private property on that side of the watershed.

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Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Sometimes big old trees get sick and die.

You have meanwhile learnt a valuable lesson. Don't ask permission!

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mm my thoughts me and my Neighbour just went out on a sat morning and chop of the branchs of a tree out side my place and then climb half way up it and conected the winch cable from the 90 and winched it over. Job done in about an hour. It was then down and done with . But no one has said anything about it being gone. And it was a very big tree. Hence the winch to pull it over to where we wanted it

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Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

I have two friends in a similar situation on near Brisbane acreages. They spend a lot of money each year spraying and grubbing out groundsel and lantana and also seem to get an annual threatening letter from the council requiring them to do just this. What irks them is that the source of infection if the uncontrolled mature groundsel trees and lantana growing thickly on nearby council lands. On a windy day in the season you can see clouds of groundsel seed blowing away from the trees in the council lands. The council properties are a "water catchment area" and chemical pesticides may not be used on this land or on private property on that side of the watershed.

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That is because it is cheap to send you a letter telling you to do something but they have nearly no budget to do anything about their own problem. I used to 'volunteer' as a uni student in BCC through Conservation Volunteers in their water catchment areas to do weed removal and new plantings. However just after I finished the programme was cut due to lack of funding. There was only one paid guy in the team! Sure there were other costs but they got a lot of free labour from us.

We used to use Round Up in the catchment areas. It was permitted.

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Originally Posted by Xavie

I wish they would Rosco. But these councils will then require engineering reports etc.. payed by me and we are talking a few grand. To have the tree removed it is up near the 3 grand mark already.

It is well within my land.

Xav

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why worry you have plenty of money now (all mine lol )

dont drill the tree as they will inspect it once it dies. hmmm but how to make it die and not get caught..

cheers
tony

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Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Sometimes big old trees get sick and die.

You have meanwhile learnt a valuable lesson. Don't ask permission!

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Good idea, a bloke down this way did it your way and it cost him $10,000, he cant pay the fine so council is going to sell his house, Regards Frank.