Page 54 - aprilmay pick west - web version

iv
Council looks to
protect town’s trees
Trees and green spaces are vital features in our villages, towns and cities. Not
only do they help create beautiful areas where people want to live, work and
visit, but also help improve air quality, provide shelter and shade and support
wildlife. Critically they offer a sustainable and effective way to manage water,
both reducing the risk of surface water flooding and improving water quality.
Carterton’s town centre benefits greatly from having a number of well-
developed trees and the council have recently announced plans that aim to
protect them well into the future. The town’s trees not only add a splash of
colour to the street but also help add a ‘garden town’ feel to the area. There is
no doubt that the various species of trees are important to the town, yet over
the years, many have been cut down, even some that were perfectly healthy.
In response, Carterton Town Council are discussing plans for a survey that
will determine which trees are on private land and which are on public. Those
deemed to be on public land will, with approval, be subject to a preservation
order. This means that the trees will be preserved for the future and will only
be removed if they are unsafe, obstructing footpaths or driveways, are proving
difficult to prune or are damaged in a vehicle collision.