By Brendan Rees
A Narre Warren North man is saddened to find native shrubs close to his home butchered without warning.
John Alcock said he couldn’t understand why council workers had cut down ti-trees next to a path along Belgrave –Hallam Road.
Mr Alcock explained he had contacted Casey Council about four months asking if they could lightly prune the trees but was shocked to find they had been hacked about six weeks ago.
“They put some idiot up there with not much brains with a chainsaw and went along and cut them off at the base,” he said.
“I just think it’s rotten vandalism quite frankly and expediency because they didn’t want to come back and prune them in a few months’ time.
“They only needed to be pruned back about a foot to 18 inches.
“All of a sudden they were gone … absolute no need for it at all,” Mr Alcock added.
Mr Alcock, a retired horticulturist, said he never received a call back from council.
“They just see it as fix the problem …put it through the chipper and no one will even notice,” he said.
“They don’t care about the environment.”
Mr Alcock said the trees attracted native birds and hoped the area would be replanted.
Casey manager of city presentation David Richardson said works were recently undertaken to remove dead trees, weed species and poor performing trees along Hallam – Belgrave Road for vehicle and pedestrian clearance.
“This work was not undertaken specifically in response to the resident’s pruning enquiry,” Mr Richardson said.
“After the resident’s initial enquiry, we tried to make contact with him and left a message in response.
“Opportunities for further tree planting along Hallam – Belgrave Rd are being investigated as part of our ongoing tree planting program,” he said.
