Dozens of trees might be replaced

Another 48 mature street trees growing under high voltage power lines in Palmerston North could soon be chopped down.

The city council has released the figure after telling residents 10 trees on Racecourse Rd are coming down because of their potential to interfere with overhead lines, and the ongoing challenge of keeping them pruned back.

The Racecourse Rd trees were due to come down yesterday, but that had been delayed because of forecast thunderstorms.

Transport and development group manager Hamish Featonby said the council had a contract to maintain some 302 trees growing under power lines around the city. Of those, there were 58 sitting under high voltage lines, and they grew back vigorously after pruning.

They needed twice as much maintenance as most other street trees, and sometimes caused complaints during storms. The 10 Racecourse Rd trees fell into that group.

Featonby did not say where the rest were growing, but confirmed there was a plan to gradually remove them.

Trees growing under low voltage power lines or telephone lines did not pose the same risk, such as those in Maxwells Line, which had been pruned to a shape to prevent them from touching the lines.

While the council had a policy of not planting new trees under high voltage lines, street trees in places such as Ronberg St and Sutherland Cres were considered low risk as the lines were low voltage.

Featonby said any street trees that were removed would be replaced with others in more suitable locations.

That could mean on the other side of the road, further away from the power lines, or at a nearby council park or reserve.

DAVID UNWIN/ STUFF Street trees in Palmerston North’s Maxwells Line have been shaped to avoid interference with overhead power and telephone lines.