Speak up before trees are gone

The removal of old gum trees in McGlone Rd for a housing estate development has caused a stir in Drouin.

McGlone Rd resident Jeannie Haughton urged locals to speak up and protect Drouin’s natural environment before it was too late.

“I am not against development or housing estates or roads, but I am for more flexible and environmentally friendly subdivisions,” she said. “Why can roads not go into the empty paddocks rather than mowing down extraordinary trees?”

Ms Haughton said big eucalyptus more than 100-years-old were amongst the trees removed on McGlone Rd to enable road widening ahead of a new residential development.

“There go these lovely little roads that are perfectly adequate but not main entrances to estates,” she said.

Trees remain on the eastern side. Ms Haughton said her information was those remaining included Mountain Gray Gums aged between 100 and 200-years-old, Messmates, Peppermints and the rare Strzelecki gums.

She acknowledging it was a complex issue but believes developers could invest and consideration alternatives to save some of these special trees which help make up the overall character of Drouin.

“It’s not even what’s happened, it’s really what is going to happen with this area. What will happen to the next ones? That might ultimately be the aim.”

“This has been going on for a long time,” said Ms Haughton. “It just keeps happening (in Drouin). It’s no good changing it further down the track.”

She emphasised destruction of trees was not inevitable. However, she said locals needed to act and to talk to neighbours, support Friends of Drouin’s Trees Group and contact local councillors.

“I think people do feel, what can I do? Once people see perhaps there is something we can do, that will make a difference and it will grow.”

Friends of Drouin’s Trees member Peter Ware captured these photographs of McGlone Rd, Drouin in May last year (above) and 12 months later this month after the trees were removed to widen the road to service a new estate. Mr Ware said the Drouin community was getting very tired of discovering the loss of precious tree canopy “after the event.”