Historic oak trees felled
Majestic old oak trees have been felled to the north of Cambridge, leaving a resident concerned for the future of other trees.
Andrew Johnstone’s family has owned land on Victoria Rd, Hautapu, since 1932, with oaks running along much of the road frontage of properties along the road.
But three of the trees have been given the chop.
‘‘I see these trees every day and have until recently taken their continued presence for granted,’’ Johnstone said.
He believed the trees had stood in place for over 120 years, planted when the land was divided up into family sized farms.
Victoria Rd road runs parallel to the now removed rail line into Cambridge and trees were also commonly planted alongside lines leading into town to help shield nearby homes from soot from coal-burning steam trains.
On December 11, Johnstone noticed three of the trees had been cut down by electricity lines company Waipa Networks.
He was shocked by what he saw as an impingement on the historic – and appropriate – corridor leading into Cambridge, the ‘Town of Trees’.
A response from a Waipa Networks spokesperson said: ‘‘having personally viewed the trees in question, the poor state they were in, and considered the threat these posed’’, the decision was made to cut the oaks down to protect the nearby power lines, which could have been damaged by falling fragments of the trees in storms.
Johnstone recalled that in 1968, the same storm that sank the in Wellington Harbour took a few of the trees down, so that would have been a possible scenario in the future too.
Waipa Networks stood by its decision.
‘‘As a responsible electricity lines company our priorities are public safety and preservation of the electricity supply,’’ the spokesperson said. She said Waipa Networks did not currently have any more plans to remove any other oaks on Victoria Rd.
She added that Waipa had helped the appropriate landowners by tidying and preserving other oaks further back on their property.
As a result, the canopy had been lifted, which would protect both the trees and the public from danger.