Tree Report| Caloundra Figs to get the chop

Eric Frei · 2nd February 2010, 10:58 AM

Well, got the news stories and I found the Tree Report.

Move mountains to save figs: MP | Sunshine Coast News | Local News in Sunshine Coast | The Sunshine Coast Daily

Quote:

THE Sunshine Coast council has been urged to leave no stone unturned in efforts to retain Bulcock Street’s iconic fig trees.

Member for Caloundra Mark McArdle said yesterday that an exhaustive investigation should be undertaken and no expense spared to bring the best horticultural brains in the country to bear on the problem.

“While the tree roots are causing problems to pavers and the like, a decision to remove them may not be the answer,” Mr McArdle said.

“Surely, with today’s technology a way can be found to allow the trees to remain.

“Cost should not be a factor in research. Bring the best horticultural brains in the country here to Caloundra to come up with an alternative solution.

“The canopy of trees over Bulcock Street is just as important to Caloundra as is Kings Beach.”

Council voted before Christmas to adopt an arborist’s report that recommended the removal of two trees because they posed a risk to life.

It said the community would be consulted on a tree management plan.

However, deputy mayor Tim Dwyer said if it was found the trees posed a risk the management plan would identify a more appropriate species.

Mr Dwyer said the tree issue was an emotive one but that would not make him put human life second.

“I’m glad that Mr McArdle said what everyone knows,” Mr Dwyer said.

“It is great for him to do a press release without first ringing the local councillor. He has read nothing and is clearly not informed that this is not about underground infrastructure.”

Mr Dwyer said the issue was about expert opinion that two of the trees posed a risk of falling in a busy street and killing someone.

“The fact is the two trees will be replaced by a species of tree that has similar characteristics and ambience to the fig. We’ve been told the remaining trees need to be monitored. They may have outgrown their habitat.”

Mr McArdle said removal of the trees would “drastically alter the appearance of the main thoroughfare and destroy the charm admired by hundreds of thousands of visitors every year”.

“Without the trees Bulcock Street is going to be another hot, characterless urban strip and an unlikely destination for people who have continued to visit the area over a number of years,” he said.

Residents angry over plans to remove Bulcock St trees | The Courier-Mail

Quote:

A MOVE to deforest Caloundra's main street has sparked a community revolt and highlights growing tribal conflicts on the crowded coastal strip.

Long-term resident Peter Pearce is leading the charge against Sunshine Coast Regional Council moves to remove trees alleged to be interfering with rapidly expanding infrastructure in the once sleepy holiday town.

Mr Pearce has the backing of Liberal Nation Party state member Mark McArdle in a fight he views as a broader confrontation with a "super council" losing touch with the history and culture of one of its oldest centres.

Two fig trees on Bulcock St were removed a few weeks ago.

An independent arborist's report showed about 20 trees posed a risk to infrastructure, including buildings and pavements.

Mr Pearce takes the view that infrastructure poses a risk to the trees and is demanding council take a more inclusive approach to planning, which he said appeared almost unfettered.

"We are being absolutely slaughtered by new highrises here – absolutely slaughtered – so that the council can get 50 sets of rates when it used to get just one.

"But we don't see highrise up in Noosa," he said.

Mr Pearce said the southern end of the shire didn't have the media-savvy residents – "the Bob Ansetts" – who had the power to sway public debate on lifestyle issues.

"And many of the people living here are over 50 and not on the internet so often they are not even being told what is happening.

"(Sunshine Coast Regional mayor) Bob Abbot is missing in action because Bob Abbot is a Noosa man and will always remain one."

Mr Pearce said the trees on Bulcock St were planted about 1994 to replace trees lost to development.

Mr McArdle said the trees were as important to the city as Hastings St was to Noosa.

"Without the trees, Bulcock St is going to be another hot, characterless urban strip and an unlikely destination for people who have continued to visit the area over a number of years," he said.

"With the rate of growth the Coast is now experiencing and the State Government's plan to cram in more and more houses, our environmental charm is fast being eroded."

Mr McArdle said the tree roots might cause problems with pavers but removing them might not be the answer.

"Surely, with today's technology a way can be found to allow the trees to remain," he said.

Cr Tim Dwyer, who represents the area, said recently in a statement the council was working with the community to develop a long-term management plan for the trees.

Council has insisted if the figs are removed other trees will replace them.

Council's senior landscape architect and urban designer Peter Nastrom said while figs were beautiful, they were not always suitable for streetscapes.

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Bulcock+Street+caloundra&ll=-26.805102,153.131797&spn=0.00609,0.016512&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&gl=au&t=h&z=17.

tww · 23rd February 2010, 04:34 PM

interesting report ekka, well done getting it. I think they're too big a species for the spot

Drouin Tree Service · 23rd February 2010, 04:43 PM

I would retain them and not touch them.

ajb · 17th March 2010, 03:14 PM

I just hope they do not mess with the roots,i.e root barriers and the like. beautiful trees but wrong location.

Davo The Terrible · 17th March 2010, 07:14 PM

Keep them - I'm sure there is a way if they looked hard enough!

I constantly hear people say - "big trees are beautiful, but not suited for a streetscape" and "we will replace these trees with more appropriate species", but seriously, who are we kidding? We want large canopy trees in our streets! An avenue with a closed canopy is the desired outcome in the majority of situations! (particularly in Caloundra). But I cannot think of any large canopy tree that does not also have a large, potentially damaging root system, thus we need to allow for these root systems if we want a pleasant urban environment - sacrifice a parking space or two, spend a bit of money (I think the process is called "planning").

I'm sick of these Council's replacing these large trees with Xanthostemons and Backhousias!

Eric Frei · 12th September 2010, 05:02 PM

It's up for discussion, if you want to get involved do so now!

Bulcock Street Fig Trees - Sunshine Coast Regional Council

Eric Frei · 9th December 2010, 06:57 PM

And where it's up to now

Community support for fig tree replacement

Quote:

The safety and wellbeing of local residents and businesses is paramount to Sunshine Coast Council, and a plan is in place to ensure future public protection along Bulcock Street in Caloundra.

Council is set to remove and replace a number of fig trees in Bulcock Street over a 20 year period due to concerns over the trees’ suitability to the area.

Division 2 Councillor, Tim Dwyer said the decision to remove and replace some of the iconic trees was made after a review process as part of the Bulcock Street Streetscape Master Plan.

“An arborist report recommended that two fig trees on Bulcock Street be removed and Council acted on this recommendation last year,” he said.

“The remaining trees do not pose immediate risks but it’s clear from the report that this species is unsuitable in a street due to their root system that can cause damage to pavement, underground pipes and building structures.

“As per the report recommendations, Council will remove 16 fig trees, while three trees in the roundabouts will be left in place because they have sufficient root space and are planted on level ground.”

Community consultation regarding management options for the fig trees returned 40% support for Council’s preferred option of replacing the trees, while 16% supported immediate removal of the trees and 33% were in favour of retaining the trees.

Cr Dwyer said Council would finalise a Tree Management Plan by March 2011 to determine timelines for the gradual removal of the remaining 16 fig trees lining Bulcock Street and to identify suitable replacement species.

“Council has consulted with the Bulcock Street Community Reference Group (CRG) and the Caloundra Chamber of Commerce and the majority of these respondents supported the recommendation for gradual removal of some of the fig trees,” he said.

“Long-term tree management options are being development by Council including a shortlist of suitable replacement tree species to ensure Bulcock Street is always a green, shady and pleasant environment.

“All residents, traders and property owners along Bulcock Street will also receive a copy of these options.”

Sunshine Coast Regional Council
9 December 2010
Community support for fig tree replacement

Eric Frei · 2nd January 2012, 07:12 AM

Well, seems like the Newcastle Fig Tree Fiasco that waiting and community tree hugging comes frought with risk.

These trees when I visited last in late November were still there.

And now this.

So lucky! | Sunshine Coast News | Local News in Sunshine Coast | Sunshine Coast Daily

Quote:

So lucky!

Damian Bathersby | 24th December 2011

Lucky to escape.

A BRISBANE mum and her young daughter were left shaken but uninjured after a fig tree crushed their vehicle as they drove down a main Sunshine Coast thoroughfare late yesterday.

Sue Adams and daughter Lauren, 11, were contending with Christmas snarls in the rain about 5.30pm, when they found themselves trapped under an avalanche of branches and foliage.

The tree had snapped at its base.

The incident happened in busy Bulcock St, in the heart of Caloundra.

"We heard this huge crack and thought it was a bolt of lightning," Mrs Adams said.

"Then this huge tree came down on top of the car. We just sat there in shock for a minute, looking at each other in amazement."

The limbs of the fig tree came down across the bonnet and roof of the car's passenger side.

"One minute we were driving along, minding our own business and the next we were trapped in the car," Mrs Adams said.

"If we hadn't been in the car - if we'd been walking across the road - we would have been crushed.

"I guess I'm just trying to be brave for Lauren right now," she said last night. "It's still sinking in."

The fig trees lining Bulcock St have been at the centre of debate this year as the Sunshine Coast Council's plan to replace them met with criticism from sections of the community.

The Caloundra councillor, Deputy Mayor Tim Dwyer, has supported plans to replace the trees over the next 20 years.

"Safety was definitely one of the reasons for replacing them," he said.

Work gangs were still clearing Bulcock St late last night.

Enspec did the original report in the first post is their report.

I am unsure exactly which tree fell but will find out, then research Enspec's report for that specific tree.

Weather conditions around the time of the event (which I think was 23 December 2011) have been loaded up in PDF form for the month from BOM. Interesting to note that there were stronger winds earlier in the month than on that day.

Eric Frei · 2nd January 2012, 04:25 PM

OK, from what I know it is Tree 3 in Enspecs report which is in a planter box outside #63 Bulcock street.

Here's the Google Street View shot of it and link

It was a bifurcated stem, one section failed, the section to the east or to the RH side from the picture. At this stage I'm hearing there was a lot of internal decay which appears to have emanated from the root crown (similar to Chinderah Tavern failure).

Now from Enspecs report they wrote on page 8:-

Quote:

In general all the Ficus benjamina trees have good, strong root and trunk buttresses and
there is no risk with pathogens affecting this area. This statement is supported by the
Sonic Tomograph tests in Appendix 1.

Quote:

The Ficus benjamina trunk structure can be considered a defect, and often untrained
people or inexperienced arborists will try to advocate that the inclusions at this point are
a structural defect affecting the tree’s stability, rather than a natural attribute. This
genus has a unique ability to structurally co-exist with this normal genetic growth defect.
No obvious defects were observed with any of the Ficus benjamina trees.

On page 12 that tree was given a risk rating of 120 which equated to:-

Quote:

1 -125 points = Very Low Risk Tree. For example, the tree will have no failures prior to the next
inspection period and in most cases no remedial arboriculture works will be required.

Now they did inspect these trees back here:-

Quote:

The inspection and assessments were conducted over 4 days, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th
August 2009.

And they did say annual inspections are required.

But here we have all the bells and whistles of inspection with a failure 2 years later. A failure where only a few weeks beforehand stronger winds were about.

Hopefully soon I'll have the pics from site to see the event. At this stage I am relying on phone calls for updates. From the man on the ground it appears that the tree had no external signs of decay, but it failed where most inexperienced arborists would expect it too.

And that is because most failures happen at the weakest point and where forces are greatest, common sense tells us that.

Eric Frei · 3rd January 2012, 07:09 AM

Seems the Newcastle Herald's Ben Smee is watching keenly, he has done a lot of reporting on the Laman street figs.

Fig limb crushes car - Local News - News - General - Newcastle Herald

Quote:

Fig limb crushes car
BY BEN SMEE
03 Jan, 2012 04:00 AM

IN a case eerily similar to Newcastle’s Laman Street debate, a Queensland council was ‘‘vindicated’’ when a fig tree fell and crushed a car driven by a woman and containing her young daughter.

The woman and her 11-year-old daughter were in the vehicle after shopping at Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast when the fig snapped near its base and a large branch smashed into the bonnet of their car.

Sue Adams, of Brisbane, told the Sunshine Coast Daily she would have been killed if she had been on foot.

‘‘If we hadn’t been in the car – if we’d been walking across the road – we would have been crushed,’’ she said.

Sunshine Coast City Council has spent two years pushing for the figs’ removal after a study showed they were too dangerous and needed to be replaced.

Community members, environmental groups and the local MP all spoke against the move, arguing the trees were an iconic part of Caloundra’s main street.

Two trees were removed immediately, and the council voted to stage their complete replacement over the next 20 years.

Sunshine Coast deputy mayor Tim Dwyer said yesterday that the staged removal plan might need to be reconsidered, after the tree fell two days before Christmas.

‘‘There are two issues, and most of the time up here people can’t separate the issues,’’ Cr Dwyer said.

‘‘The first one is the amenity and the ambience the trees create.

‘‘The [safety concerns] are what people haven’t wanted to look at seriously.

‘‘A human life should come before a tree.’’

The Caloundra fig tree snapped in winds gusting to about 50 km/h, and considerably weaker than during several other days in December.

There are some differences between the Newcastle and Caloundra cases.

The Queensland trees are in planter boxes, rather than in the road. They are also a different species – a weeping fig, not the Hill’s weeping figs in Laman Street.

Newcastle City Council plans to replace its figs with the same species and build a root vault in an attempt to prevent future problems.

Sunshine Coast City Council will replace its trees with hardy quandongs.

‘‘Fig trees are not the best species for Bulcock Street,’’ Cr Dwyer said.

So what we can see is that it fell, pivoted on the blue rail and snapped clean from the holding wood at the base. We can tell that compared to the diameter of the limb that the strip of holding wood was narrow and considerably smaller. We can tell that the surface area contact where the stem met the other was large and discoloured, would have been a lot of pressure where the two stems were touching, consulting arborist Dennis Marsden from Laman street called this "cluster wedge" formation and wrote in his report that it was a defect with a predisposition for programmed failure, a weakness and that was referenced to Mattheck. Here we have Enspec saying it's OK.

Below is a picture from the man on the ground. The yellow area is the snapped wood where the limb was attached, very small in area and note the shape and orientation, very poor to hold up a large sprawling limb, it acted as a hinge prior to snapping. In a normal trunk/ground interface on the side where the remaining stem was you'd expect to see a stem thickening with a buttress root, but cluster wedge formations deny that, same is true for the Chinderah Tavern fig tree which I mentioned but other "experts" missed.

Paul Goodall · 3rd January 2012, 10:35 AM

Were the Caloundra trees originally planted at ground level or have they always been in those planter boxes from day 1? To me it almost looks like the planters have been built up around the trees at a later date which would be very wrong.

Eric Frei · 3rd January 2012, 06:46 PM

I feel from what I have seen that they were planted in the planter boxes.

You can get some subsidence and as the tree grows and as you experience with a pot plant slowly the soil seems to disappear and where there was soil there is now roots etc.

The planter boxes were small, too small to accommodate the typical root plate. Tree roots would navigate to the edge then likely go down chasing water and nutrient .... eventually going under the planter box and extending sideways.

That also means poor structure for those roots, sort of doing a dog leg or "S" bend formation, not ideal for strength but being a fig perhaps good enough for a while whilst the tree is semi-mature.

Now Southbank in Brisbane also has raised planter boxes with figs in them along the waterfront promenade. Not sure if roots can grow beyond the planter boxes as they have here. But if they cannot then you will over time get issues similar to a root bound pot plant, if not the roots may continue and depending on the strength of the planter box and soil conditions the trees might be OK.

An assumption is often made that when councils do something it is a good thing, that they know best, but I assure you often that is far from the case especially going back a few years.

Also councils tend to dilute their failure statistics to make it look good. What that means is they have a lot of trees to look after, sometimes so many that with so few resources to inspect them all that there is failures. What they do then is divide out the number of failures to the total number of trees to deliver a minuscule failure ratio. It looks good on paper but what is happening is you are mixing the bad trees with the good rather than isolating them and in so doing softening the failure ratio.

Some councils are changing their tactics and realising the urban tree has a limited lifespan and replacing them frequently on rotational basis. These trees were all going to go but over 20 years which is way too long. These trees are under similar pressure to those in Laman street where it was decided all out at once and rebuild in one hit. There will always be argument but fact is the all out in one hit and rebuild/re-scape is most efficient with less risk. If the total canopy cover is removed and shade for the establishment period is an issue then incorporate shade temporarily with sails etc which can later be adjusted or removed. I assure you that it will be cheaper, just have a look at any govt jobs to do something and see how inflation blows the costs out over a few years, imagine 20 years? Be a joke!

Eric Frei · 3rd January 2012, 08:10 PM

Some more from media but it has a pic of what is there now.

Caloundra falling figs face felling | Sunshine Coast News | Local News in Sunshine Coast | Sunshine Coast Daily

Quote:

Caloundra falling figs face felling

Damian Bathersby | 30th December 2011

THE safety of Caloundra's fig trees is again under scrutiny after one came crashing down on top of a passing car on Friday night.

Brisbane woman Sue Adams and her 11-year-old daughter, Lauren, were lucky to escape serious injury when the large tree landed on top of their car on Bulcock St about 5.30pm.

Caloundra Chamber of Commerce president Alan Porter was shocked to hear of the incident, which witnesses said would have seriously injured a pedestrian in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Mr Porter said the incident "probably vindicated" the council's controversial stand to remove the trees in the next 20 years and replace them with a more suitable species.

He conceded the timing of that program may have to be reconsidered.

"While the public wants the trees to stay, people's safety is the main concern," he said.

"Council had an arborist look at all the trees as part of its Bulcock St revitalisation program and two were removed for safety reasons.

"They were the ones supposedly most at risk, so for another one to fall now is a bit of a shock.

"Maybe the safety of the trees needs to be revisited."

The council's plan to progressively remove the fig trees caused a storm this year, with some sections of the community fighting to have them retained.

But with a visitor to the town involved in a near tragedy, Mr Porter said the issue might need a rethink.

"This sort of thing can have an impact on all businesses in town," he said.

"No one wants to go shopping if they're going to have a tree fall on them."

A local businessman who contacted the Daily anonymously after the incident pointed out that the tree that fell had sat on the stretch of Bulcock St used for community markets every Sunday morning.

23rd February 2010, 04:34 PM	#2
tww I'm new here so be nice Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: australia Posts: 4	Re: Tree Report\| Caloundra Figs to get the chop interesting report ekka, well done getting it. I think they're too big a species for the spot

23rd February 2010, 04:43 PM	#3
Drouin Tree Service Veteran Heritage Status Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,728	Re: Tree Report\| Caloundra Figs to get the chop I would retain them and not touch them. __________________ Drouin Tree Services \| Excavator Hire - Drouin and SE Gippsland \| Landclearing Melbourne

17th March 2010, 03:14 PM	#4
ajb I'm new here so be nice Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Brisbane Posts: 1	Re: Tree Report\| Caloundra Figs to get the chop I just hope they do not mess with the roots,i.e root barriers and the like. beautiful trees but wrong location.

17th March 2010, 07:14 PM	#5
Davo The Terrible Former Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Gold Coast QLD Posts: 121	Re: Tree Report\| Caloundra Figs to get the chop Keep them - I'm sure there is a way if they looked hard enough! I constantly hear people say - "big trees are beautiful, but not suited for a streetscape" and "we will replace these trees with more appropriate species", but seriously, who are we kidding? We want large canopy trees in our streets! An avenue with a closed canopy is the desired outcome in the majority of situations! (particularly in Caloundra). But I cannot think of any large canopy tree that does not also have a large, potentially damaging root system, thus we need to allow for these root systems if we want a pleasant urban environment - sacrifice a parking space or two, spend a bit of money (I think the process is called "planning"). I'm sick of these Council's replacing these large trees with Xanthostemons and Backhousias!

3rd January 2012, 10:35 AM	#11
Paul Goodall Sappling Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Toowoomba QLD Posts: 35	Re: Tree Report\| Caloundra Figs to get the chop Were the Caloundra trees originally planted at ground level or have they always been in those planter boxes from day 1? To me it almost looks like the planters have been built up around the trees at a later date which would be very wrong.

12th September 2010, 05:02 PM	#6
Eric Frei Admin - Owner Palm & Tree Services in Brisbane Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 12,996	Re: Tree Report\| Caloundra Figs to get the chop It's up for discussion, if you want to get involved do so now! Bulcock Street Fig Trees - Sunshine Coast Regional Council __________________ Protect your rights to work - Join Australian Tree Association My businesses:- Qualified Brisbane Palm and Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding Brisbane \| Brisbane - Gold Coast Consulting Arborist

3rd January 2012, 06:46 PM	#12
Eric Frei Admin - Owner Palm & Tree Services in Brisbane Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 12,996	Re: Tree Report\| Caloundra Figs to get the chop I feel from what I have seen that they were planted in the planter boxes. You can get some subsidence and as the tree grows and as you experience with a pot plant slowly the soil seems to disappear and where there was soil there is now roots etc. The planter boxes were small, too small to accommodate the typical root plate. Tree roots would navigate to the edge then likely go down chasing water and nutrient .... eventually going under the planter box and extending sideways. That also means poor structure for those roots, sort of doing a dog leg or "S" bend formation, not ideal for strength but being a fig perhaps good enough for a while whilst the tree is semi-mature. Now Southbank in Brisbane also has raised planter boxes with figs in them along the waterfront promenade. Not sure if roots can grow beyond the planter boxes as they have here. But if they cannot then you will over time get issues similar to a root bound pot plant, if not the roots may continue and depending on the strength of the planter box and soil conditions the trees might be OK. An assumption is often made that when councils do something it is a good thing, that they know best, but I assure you often that is far from the case especially going back a few years. Also councils tend to dilute their failure statistics to make it look good. What that means is they have a lot of trees to look after, sometimes so many that with so few resources to inspect them all that there is failures. What they do then is divide out the number of failures to the total number of trees to deliver a minuscule failure ratio. It looks good on paper but what is happening is you are mixing the bad trees with the good rather than isolating them and in so doing softening the failure ratio. Some councils are changing their tactics and realising the urban tree has a limited lifespan and replacing them frequently on rotational basis. These trees were all going to go but over 20 years which is way too long. These trees are under similar pressure to those in Laman street where it was decided all out at once and rebuild in one hit. There will always be argument but fact is the all out in one hit and rebuild/re-scape is most efficient with less risk. If the total canopy cover is removed and shade for the establishment period is an issue then incorporate shade temporarily with sails etc which can later be adjusted or removed. I assure you that it will be cheaper, just have a look at any govt jobs to do something and see how inflation blows the costs out over a few years, imagine 20 years? Be a joke! __________________ Protect your rights to work - Join Australian Tree Association My businesses:- Qualified Brisbane Palm and Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding Brisbane \| Brisbane - Gold Coast Consulting Arborist

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