Nelson woman Denyse Kinraid says the tree outside her home is beautiful, but she also wants it ripped up for the damage its causing.
“I really like it, but it’s just in the wrong place,” she said.
Kinraid has lived in her Rutherford Street home since about 1980 and remembers the liquidambar being planted on the berm outside her property.
However, more than 40 years later, the effects of the tree – and others planted on the street – were concerning her.
Tree roots cracked the footpath and road, and the sheer number of leaves dumped each autumn clogged storm drains and made the footpath slippery, she said.
The tree also “undermines” her efforts to keep her property tidy by carpeting her front yard in fallen leaves.
“This is a problem. Things are different now than they used to be when they were first planted. You’ve got a different sort of society, you’ve got a different climate,” Kinraid said.
“It’s beautiful, but … it’s not practical to have trees that require a lot of care.”
Kinraid wanted the tree removed – with the wood going to a local woodworking group – and replaced with a more suitable alternative, as well as a wider community discussion on the topic.
Having more appropriate trees would reduce the need for street sweeping while also lessening damage to the pavement, saving costs for the council, she said.
She hadn’t asked Nelson City Council to remove the tree because she didn’t think it would.
“People are busy just trying to manage and they don’t want to have to do the council’s job for them, and the council doesn’t want to do it. So, what’s going to happen?”
Council: Report ‘significant issues’ to us
Andrew White, the council’s group manager community services, said Nelson was lucky to have “so many varieties of beautiful trees adorning our city streets”.
“Some of these trees do come with heavy leaf-fall, which we account for with pruning and our street sweeping schedule.”
Residents are responsible for maintaining the berm outside their property – this typically involves mowing the berm, but also includes removing fallen leaves.
White encouraged residents who found that berm trees were causing “significant issues” to call the council’s customer service centre so an arborist could prune the tree and discuss further options.
The council’s street sweeping programme aimed to keep the city looking tidy but also to prevent drains from blocking.
Main, commercial, and industrial roads were swept regularly while residential streets are swept three times a year.
“However, streets with heavy leaf-fall are swept more often in autumn to keep drains and intakes clear of debris,” White said.
“Ahead of heavy rain events, our contractors check high-leaf areas, drains, and intakes and do additional sweeping where needed.”
The council asked residents to clear drains outside their properties ahead of storms if they are able to do so, or to contact the council if they are not able.
Infrastructural issues caused by berm trees, such as roots damaging the footpath, are monitored and prioritised through the annual footpath maintenance budget.
Over the last three years, the council has repaired damage to 62 footpaths caused by tree roots at a cost of $36,000.
“We expect this cost to be reduced over time, as we now have a policy to install a root guard when any new tree is planted in a berm less than four metres wide, which protects the surrounding infrastructure, like the kerb and channel and footpaths,” White said.
The choice of berm trees have caused complaints in other parts of the country.
Marlborough District Council this month agreed to remove two oak trees in Picton’s Endeavour Heights subdivision after residents expressed concerns they would get too big.
Papakura resident Sarah Thompson said she was surprised that Auckland Council planted a dwarf version of a liquidamber on her berm this year.
“You could hardly pick a more ridiculous tree to plant on a berm,” Thompson told Local Democracy Reporting.
Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
