The Warburton Tree
Donation protected
Hello, we are concerned residents of the small town of Warburton, standing up for and protecting the largest, most significant and loved Tree in our township.
We seek to bring to the public's attention that the Council (Yarra Ranges) did not conduct the proper range of tests and assessments PRIOR to arriving at its decision to remove this tree. Nor was there any attempt to engage with the community and mitigate the foreseeable shock this significant removal would have on our community.
Our local Council failed to recognise this Habitat Tree (Mountain Grey Gum) as being of significant value:
...as a living ecosystem and habitat to a large range of wildlife;
...as a tree which pre-dates the development of this town - one of the largest timber towns in the world in its day - it has great historical significance;
...as a great beauty, a much loved community member, a landmark and a tourist attraction.
This tree is only standing today because of one community member's direct action, which halted works to completely remove the tree - and subsequently another community member has chosen to maintain a presence up high in its boughs.
We have since engaged the Council in talks with community representatives, and we are currently trying to oblige them to follow due process both scientifically and procedurally.
In aid of this cause we have had to engage professional arborists to conduct additional tests to be able to make the most informed decisions possible.
These tests and reports are costly, and we are seeking the wider community's support to help us fund them.
We will be updating this page with the exact costs we are covering. Currently we are fundraising to repay a community member for covering the cost ($1,500) of a Resistograph test; we are wanting to commission a new tree assessment, specifically from the point of view of Tree Retention, including recommendations of what that will require; and if we have left over funds, we would like to repay Warburton Environment for having been kind enough to cover the cost of an initial independant Arborist Assessment.
We thank you for supporting our cause - we feel we are setting a precedent by holding our Council accountable, as well as raising awareness of the need to respect trees which are significant ecologically and socially everywhere.
You can follow our journey at:
Organizer
Ravenna Keller
Organizer
Millgrove, VIC