AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL

MEDIA RELEASE

17 May 2007

Tree company prosecuted for illegal work

An Auckland tree company has been prosecuted for removing and pruning two generally protected trees on private property in Sandringham without the required resource consents.

A1 Trees Ltd was prosecuted for removinga Mahoe tree and pruning a Griselinia tree.

After a successful restorative justice hearing, the company was ordered to:

• pay a total of $5000 in costs and fines
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• plant and maintain three tree ferns on the Sandringham property
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• plant and maintain $1200 worth of trees for a year at Edendale Primary School in Sandringham
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• give a 45-minute lecture to a class at the school about trees and the benefits they provide
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• attend an arboriculture conference in 2008.
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Auckland City Council service requests manager Jackie Wilkinson is happy with the result and wants it to send a clear message about the council’s strong stance on the protection of Auckland’s trees.

“This is a good result for the council because the company has recognised their offence and shown remorse. They wrongly believed they were doing the right thing by acting on professional discretion after assessing the trees’ health and have since apologised for the mistake,” she says.

“These were generally protected trees, so a council arborist needed to inspect and assess them before granting consent for any work to be carried out.

“If you are unsure, it is always best to contact the council for some advice regarding the consent process.”

Resource consents for trees are free of charge.

A1 Trees Ltd was hired to prune and remove the trees by the property owners’ landscape artist.

Auckland City Council has two levels of tree protection. The highest protection is given to trees that have historic, botanical or cultural value, but the council also has general tree protection rules.

Under general tree protection rules, resource consent is required to remove, prune or work within the dripline of:

• any native tree 6m or taller or with a girth greater than 600mm
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• any exotic tree 8m or taller or with a girth greater than 800mm.
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Ms Wilkinson says that as a general rule, if a tree is about the size of a two-storey house then it is likely to be covered by the general tree protection rules.

“The bigger trees get, the more benefits they provide not only for the property owner but the whole community and city, so it is very important to ensure that we protect and enhance the city’s trees,” Ms Wilkinson says.

For more information about the council’s rules around working on trees visit www.aucklandcity.govt.nzor phone 379 2020.

Ends

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