Parks and Zoo adds to borer problem
The polyphagous shothole borer killing trees across the city is a sad event. But what the borer is not killing, Joburg City Parks and Zoo are adding to the torment.
The James and Ethel Grey Park in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg is a beautiful park much used and enjoyed by residents in the area. I walk my dogs in the park every morning. It is well maintained and the grass is cut regularly.
However, in the past two years, I have witnessed trees, large and small, falling over and dying for no apparent reason – at least one or two a month. Then I took a closer look at these trees and discovered the following:
After the grass is cut by the city, a team of trimmers arrives with powerful machines to neaten up the edges that the mowers were not able to reach. For the sake of neatness, they trim the grass right up to the base of the trees. In the process, the plastic cord of the trimmer cuts into the bark of the tree, starving it of nutrients which come up through the bark. This weakens the tree’s stability, so that when a powerful wind comes up, the tree leans over and then falls. It has got a name – ring barking.
For the past year-and-a-half, I have been engaging the parks department with no success. I am passed from one official to another each time, being assured that they are the right person to speak to.
I even met a “senior” official at the park to point out the problem and to show him the gaps where trees have fallen and not been replaced. He promised to take action and address the problem and replace the trees. It didn’t happen.
They must just stop trimming 300mm from the trunks.
They can’t do it. Who knows what these “senior” managers are doing that’s more important than saving our trees?
JOBURG CITY PARKS AND ZOO REPLIES: The operations team has planted new trees and have placed plastic trunk covers at the base of the young trees in the park. JCPZ has facilitated an on-site meeting with the operations team to ensure they are extra careful when operating brush cutters in close proximity to trees in parks. Residents may report transgressions to trees@jhbcityparks. com