By Brendan Rees
A Berwick woman has spoken of her shock after gum trees in her street were cut down without warning.
Teisha Cohen, 25, was furious when she discovered workers felling the trees outside her Howitt Court home on Friday 17 May.
“We moved here because we loved the fact there were native trees,” she said.
“They’re big strong trees that have been there for a really long time. It’s very sad.”
Casey manager of city presentation David Richardson said as part of council’s ongoing management of trees in the Timbarra Estate, the trees which were mostly Wallangarra white gum, had been identified for removal due to their declining health and poor condition following extended dry periods and multiple insect infestations.
“Residents will be involved in selecting replacement tree species that are complementary to the character of the estate and which meet safety and sustainability criteria,” he said.
Ms Cohen said she had no idea the trees were going to be removed; adding council “didn’t even give us a chance to prepare.”
“I’ve just been woken up and said we need to move our cars because they’re cutting down the trees.
“They told me that the tree has rot and I said ‘Where? I don’t see any rot.’
“What we’ve got in front of our house right now is like sections of the tree and a large portion of the stump. That’s all around our neighbourhood now,” she said.
“They’re beautiful. We have birds that live in them.
According to Ms Cohen, her neighbour also said he “really doesn’t understand it.”
Another Howitt Court resident, Cassie Adams, said the trees appeared to be healthy but did drop a lot of bark, twigs, branches and leaves which were blocking drains.
“They were a bit of a hassle. If they planted something new that would be great, nothing as messy I suppose,” she said.
