A tough call for Council
Big Fig Tree Fight
“Today is not a good day for me.”
Douglas Shire Council member Damian Meadows took on the task of telling the community they would lose a local treasure, and the former police sergeant delivered the message as if the tree was a valued member of the community he loves.
“Council has been forced to make a very drastic decision,’’ Mr Meadows said in a video filmed at the base of the tree and distributed across council’s social media.
“It affects us all. It is an iconic tree in the region. My kids have grown up climbing this tree. My kids have grown up utilising the playground.
“But unfortunately this tree has reached its end of life and there’s nothing more we can do.”
Mr Meadows said he was well aware that a lot of people would not be happy about the decision, “but it all boils down to safety’’
“We recently had a tree fall in Macrossan Street and we don’t want the same thing happening here in Rex Smeal Park,’’ he said, referring to the September 18 event where a tree crushed six vehicles and injured a man when it fell in the main shopping strip.
Mr Meadows raised the specialist arborists reports which had sealed the fate of the tree, reports which are now central to calls of petitioners to be released in full to the public.
“It saddens all of us but unfortunately this has to be done for the safety of our children and the safety of people attending the park,’’ he said.
“However we have plans in place to put shades over the playground to start with and we are going to import some mature trees to see if we can fill the void as quickly as possible.”
Just as there has been opposition to the removal, there has been strong support for the approach to the announcement taken by Douglas Shire Council and Mr Meadows
Craig Eggins said Mr Meadows makes a good point several times.
“The tree is at its ‘end of life’ stage. Trees do not live forever! A tree is considered to be structurally sound if it has 30 per cent or more holding timber,” he said.
“Fig trees rot from the inside out. The trick is to plant replacement trees long before they get to this point.
“I was part of a tree crew who removed a fig tree the same size as this one after it crashed through a fence and into a childcare centre playground in Milton 20 mins after the last child had left for the day.
“In New Farm Park, they fenced the trees off when they became dangerously old and decayed... they should have replaced them 15-20 years earlier.
“Sad to see it go, but the best decision for its location.
But Jacqueline Funch, in contrast, went on the attack.
“Having watched Port Douglas over the years, it’s sad to see how decisions and attitudes from some people involved in Council and the town have negatively impacted its progress over the last 20 to 30 years,” she said.
“Port Douglas deserves fresh perspectives, new ideas and people willing to move forward.
“It’s time for some to step aside and let this beautiful town evolve. Why is chopping the tree down the only solution?
“Move the playground and create a beautiful boundary around the tree so people aren’t walking directly underneath it.
“Any tree, any branch from a tree can fall at any time, but surely there are smarter ways to manage risk than simply removing a beautiful tree?
“Port Douglas had so much potential, yet for 20 years it’s just slowly declined rather than evolved. Find ways to improve the town, restore and protect what made it special.”