ENVIRONMENT STANDING COMMITTEE 18 September 2017 Street Trees & - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

ENVIRONMENT STANDING COMMITTEE

18 September 2017

Street Trees & Pruning Requests

Criteria & Rationale

TA18

Outline

• Street trees & pruning requests:

– Rationale and Criteria – Approvals (minor and major pruning) – Refusals.

TA19

Urban Forestry Principle

• Our Urban Forest Strategy focus:

To enhance urban liveability by protecting, restoring and maximising tree canopy in the City of Belmont

• All pruning requests are considered and

performed within that context.

TA20

Objective

• Residents are encouraged to be tolerant of

a degree

• f

normal

• verhang

and encroachment, so that the City can still have street trees in spite of increasingly confined space and higher densities.

TA21

Pruning Requests

• Most pruning is done for “people reasons”
• Reasons and opinion vary widely, with

each individual applying their particular rationale and motivation and perceived level of expertise

• Our responsibility lies in evaluating and

applying all requests within the context of the objectives of the UFS.

TA22

• Street trees live in a highly modified (urbanised)

environment and must endure stresses not found in a forest

• City foresters must understand the biology of trees

and their basic requirements in order to optimize their health and structure

• Improper pruning can cause damage that remains

for the life of the tree

• Human safety and aesthetic preferences dictate

certain pruning requirements.

Pruning Requests

TA23

Pruning Requests

• Each pruning cut has the potential to

change the growth of a tree

• No branch should be removed without a

reason

• Applying best practice, the outcome of

each requests is either accepted (pruning is undertaken) or refused (no pruning is undertaken).

TA24

Pruning Approved

• Approved – Common Reasons:

– Minimal distance between building and tree – Branches touching buildings – Tree is structurally significantly compromised – Risk identified at unacceptable – Sightlines.

TA25

Pruning Approved

• Approved – Minor Prune:

– Trees that significantly overhang boundaries and/or residential gardens – but with ample distance from the dwelling – and are not likely to extend considerably further based on the potential of the species – and do not present an unacceptable risk, or a disproportionate extent of interference.

TA26

Pruning Requests Cont’d Minor Prune Example - Modified Approval: 21 Manuel Cr BEFORE

TA27

Pruning Requests Cont’d

Modified pruning example : 21 Manuel Cr.

Minor Prune Example - Modified Approval: 21 Manuel Cr AFTER

TA28

• Request: Property line prune
• Approval

Reason: Minimal distance between building and tree

• Outcome – Minor Prune: Compromise

agreement to prevent excessive pruning, but still adequately reduce and control encroachment. Approval Example

TA29

Pruning Approved

• Approved – Major Pruning:

– Trees that are significantly overhanging buildings – and with a high likelihood to encroach considerable further based on the potential of the species.

TA30

Pruning Requests Cont’d

Major Pruning Example - Approval: 2 Harriet Place BEFORE

TA31

Pruning Requests Cont’d

Major Pruning Example - Approval: 2 Harriet Place AFTER

TA32

• Request: Height and width reduction of

three trees

• Approval

Reason: Minimal distance between building and tree

• Outcome – Major Prune: Width approved

two trees. Height declined. No pruning on third tree (over rear garden, but not dwelling). Approval Example

TA33

Pruning Refusal

• Refusal – Common Reasons:

– Nuisance factors; leaves, branches, bark and flowers – Shading of solar panels – Aesthetics – Allergies – Minor overhang / encroachment – Perceived risk (but identified at low and insufficient to warrant intervention).

TA34

Pruning Refusal

• Minor overhang / encroachment:

– there is no policy, or requirement against branch encroachment over private property

• Tolerance principle applies:

– When choosing to live in a leafy suburb it’s reasonable to accept and to be tolerant of a degree of encroachment.

TA35

Pruning Reques

Example - Refusal: 242 Kooyong Rd

TA36

• Request: Height and width reduction
• Refusal

Reason: Minor

• verhang

/ encroachment

• Tolerance

principle: Ample distance between building and tree

• Outcome: No requirement to undertake

pruning. Refusal Example

TA37

Summary

• The

City will prune back where the encroachment is considered excessive and disproportionate to what

• therwise

be considered tolerable by most reasonable landowners

• This will often entail reaching a degree of

compromise between the customer’s request and the biological requirements of the tree.

TA38