By Casey Neill
Trees removed to make way for the elevated rail in Noble Park are popping up across the municipality.
The Journal reported last August that the community was reeling following shock news that dozens of decades-old river red gums and several other trees on Mons Parade, between Heatherton Road and Briggs Crescent, would be removed.
The Level Crossing Removal Authority (LXRA) said at the time that river red gums were not suitable for transplanting.
So the project team is storing logs that will be incorporated into the new parkland that will be created under the raised rail line.
The council also received several logs which city planning, design and amenity director Jody Bosman said have established new habitat in bushland areas around the city.
“It is also investigating the possibility of using some of the logs to create new park furniture, interpretative signage and artworks,” he said.
It worked with Greater Dandenong Council to salvage and relocate various native plants from within the rail corridor, including donating several to not-for-profit nursery Greenlink Sandbelt in Clayton South.
The LXRA team also harvested seeds from river red gum trees along the rail corridor and donated them to the council.
LXRA project director Brett Summers said those seeds would also be used in planting in the new parkland.
“It makes sense for us to harvest and propagate seeds from this area to make sure the new trees we put will have the best possible chance of thriving in this local area,” he said.
“By elevating the rail line between Caulfield and Dandenong we will keep nearly 1900 more trees in the rail corridor than if we had removed the level crossings by building a trench.”
