glend
25-04-2019, 12:57 PM
I have been waging a two and a half year campaign to get a dead gum tree removed from the bush land behind and overhanging my rear fence, and happily it was finally removed just before Easter. Persistence, along with being able to demonstrate a possible public liability, and knowing exactly who is responsible, is the key to getting public authorities to act (I am convinced). The big old skeleton (it had already dropped its leaves, small branches, all the bark, etc on my garage/shed) was a serious risk of splitting off a dead fall type branch and inflicting some serious damage. My neighbor had already had his patio roof caved in by one of the branches.
Assumptions about who had responsibility proved wrong, it was not Council land, nor was it privately owned, but Crown land administered by the Local Aboriginal Land Council (or LALC for short). Trying to get in contact with the LALC people was near impossible, phone numbers listed didn't work, emails went unresponded, etc. but I eventually did establish contact through a helpful official in the state government. Then wholesale staff upheavals at the LALC meant that every six months I would have to go through the process again, and again. Finally, they sent out a Ranger, I was told the job was approved and the tree surgeons came and quoted the work back to the LALC, and then silence. Turns out the old CEO had left, and they were searching for a new one, etc yada yada. Finally last week the job was done.
I now have a new section of clear sky to the SW of my observatory, with the promise of another dangerous tree further down the fence line, to be removed in the next financial year (when they have money again apparently). My neighbor and I had a beer to celebrate.
Living on the bush is wonderful, but this sort of experience shows the downside. For those suggesting just chainsawing the thing down, it was just too big, and leaning over our properties - there was the danger of killing ourselves if we tried it, and real questions about liability insurance, collateral damage, etc. As it was the Pros had to rig up a flying fox line to swing the branches back into the bush; it was great to watch how they did it. Not worth the risk for us.
Assumptions about who had responsibility proved wrong, it was not Council land, nor was it privately owned, but Crown land administered by the Local Aboriginal Land Council (or LALC for short). Trying to get in contact with the LALC people was near impossible, phone numbers listed didn't work, emails went unresponded, etc. but I eventually did establish contact through a helpful official in the state government. Then wholesale staff upheavals at the LALC meant that every six months I would have to go through the process again, and again. Finally, they sent out a Ranger, I was told the job was approved and the tree surgeons came and quoted the work back to the LALC, and then silence. Turns out the old CEO had left, and they were searching for a new one, etc yada yada. Finally last week the job was done.
I now have a new section of clear sky to the SW of my observatory, with the promise of another dangerous tree further down the fence line, to be removed in the next financial year (when they have money again apparently). My neighbor and I had a beer to celebrate.
Living on the bush is wonderful, but this sort of experience shows the downside. For those suggesting just chainsawing the thing down, it was just too big, and leaning over our properties - there was the danger of killing ourselves if we tried it, and real questions about liability insurance, collateral damage, etc. As it was the Pros had to rig up a flying fox line to swing the branches back into the bush; it was great to watch how they did it. Not worth the risk for us.