By Cam Lucadou-Wells
For decades, a Keysborough resident has lived under threat of a “towering monster” of a gum tree on her nature strip.
A large fallen branch from the 10-metre-plus yellow gum took down a powerline connected to Thelma Paull’s home roof about 20 years ago.
But despite persistent requests to Greater Dandenong Council to prune the “three-storey” tree, its heavy limbs still loom over her as she walks out her front door.
Dr Paull says she doesn’t necessarily want the tree removed, just “downsized”.
“It’s not a terrible tree. It’s a park tree, not a nature-strip tree.
“Someone joked that if it was planted now, it would need a building permit.”
Each time the council tells her it is “a healthy tree”, she says. Recently, they estimated it had another 30 years of healthy life.
On windy days, Dr Paull fears limbs will once again fall.
“How do they determine a healthy tree?
“I say to anyone at the council why don’t you dig it up and plant it your house.”
The council-planted tree has well and truly outgrown other yellow gums in the estate’s nature strips.
Aside from safety concerns, there’s debris – leaves, bark, blossums, nuts and twigs – that blanket the footpath and front yard.
Screeching flocks of more than 100 corellas regularly perch. Their piercingly loud chorus startle residents at dawn with an encore in the late afternoon.
On 8 February, the council tabled a neighbourhood petition that stated “we feel like we’re living in a jungle”.
“We strongly believe that gum trees are more suitable for non-residential areas,” the petition stated..
“Hence our humble request is that these trees are replaced with more suitable trees for us residents to maintain a pleasant and happily liveable environment; to protect lives from potential accidents and to achieve a win/win outcome for the residents and the council.”
Councillor Rhonda Garad said the council’s strong policy on tree protection was needed “as we face increasingly hot temperatures due to climate change”.
“(However) I would support a policy of ‘exception’ for those trees, like this one, that cause distress to some residents.”
Cr Garad said some street trees that were planted under an old council policy were “too large for nature strips”.
Since then, the council planted “more appropriate” trees.
According to the council’s 2018 tree strategy, there were more than 1300 yellow gums in Greater Dandenong. This is the same species outside Dr Paull’s home.
Engineering director Paul Kearsley told a council meeting said the main deciding factor was whether the tree was safe.
He said the council had to consider also its low tree-canopy rate. Greater Dandenong has one of the lowest tree-canopy rates in Melbourne at 9.8 per cent.
The council aims to lift that rate to 15 per cent by 2028.
