Surprise as avenue of trees gets the chop

GROWING, GROWING GONE: Maungaturoto’s Avenue of Trees is no more.

By Chris Sellars

The stretch of State Highway 12, locally known as the Maungi Straights, is one of the longest, flattest, and straightest stretches of road in the North Island, and in the late 1980’s local woman Beth Dalebrook mooted the idea of beautifying the route into Maungaturoto by creating an Avenue of Trees. 

In typical Maungaturoto fashion, and with Mrs Dalebrook leading the charge, the community pulled together to make the vision a reality. Farmers consented to host the trees on their land and a succession of volunteers planted, weeded, fertilised and stock-fenced the saplings. 

For almost two decades the trees struggled and their aesthetic impact was negligible, but over the last few years they have provided the visual impact first envisaged with the drive into town greatly enhanced by the tree-lined highway. 

So it was with some dismay that locals noticed the majority of trees, over one hundred planted on the south side of the highway, had been clear felled. Thousands of hours of work, many community dollars and over two decades of growth had been perfunctorily chain-sawed to the ground.

A Northpower spokesman says the trees were nearing a height that would interfere with the overhead power lines.

When first planted, the then North Auckland Power Board informed locals that interference with overhead power lines would be no problem as the board had plans to run this stretch of cables underground, though apparently there are no records indicating any intention to bury the cables.

The law prohibits landowners pruning their own trees that are near power lines, however many locals are asking why were they not trimmed near the top rather that at the bottom? 

“Farmers along that stretch of road were not prepared to foot the bill for ongoing pruning costs nor would they consent to having the poles moved further onto their farms,” said Dave Orford, Avenue of Trees committee chairman.

He added that the committee felt there was really no choice and the trees had to come down.