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

TA18 ENVIRONMENT STANDING COMMITTEE 18 September 2017 Street Trees & Pruning Requests Criteria & Rationale

TA19 Outline • Street trees & pruning requests: – Rationale and Criteria – Approvals (minor and major pruning) – Refusals.

TA20 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.

TA21 Objective • Residents are encouraged to be tolerant of a degree of normal overhang and encroachment, so that the City can still have street trees in spite of increasingly confined space and higher densities.

TA22 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.

TA23 Pruning Requests • 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.

TA24 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).

TA25 Pruning Approved • Approved – Common Reasons: – Minimal distance between building and tree – Branches touching buildings – Tree is structurally significantly compromised – Risk identified at unacceptable – Sightlines.

TA26 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.

TA27 Pruning Requests Cont’d Minor Prune Example - Modified Approval: 21 Manuel Cr BEFORE

TA28 Pruning Requests Cont’d Minor Prune Example - Modified Approval: 21 Manuel Cr AFTER Modified pruning example : 21 Manuel Cr.

TA29 Approval Example • 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.

TA30 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.

TA31 Major Pruning Example - Approval: 2 Harriet Place BEFORE Pruning Requests Cont’d

TA32 Major Pruning Example - Approval: 2 Harriet Place AFTER Pruning Requests Cont’d

TA33 Approval Example • 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).

TA34 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).

TA35 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.

TA36 Pruning Reques Example - Refusal: 242 Kooyong Rd

TA37 Refusal Example • Request: Height and width reduction • Refusal Reason: Minor overhang / encroachment • Tolerance principle: Ample distance between building and tree • Outcome: No requirement to undertake pruning.

TA38 Summary • The City will prune back where the encroachment is considered excessive and disproportionate to what otherwise 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.