By Tanya Steele
A reserve highly valued by the community for both environmental significance and recreation, the pine tree removal planned for Koolunga Native Reserve was the subject of urgent business at a recent Knox City Council meeting.
Now excluding trees behind residences on Daffodil Road and Sassafras Court, work will start to remove 14 pine trees from Koolunga Native Reserve in Ferntree Gully this month.
A slowed-down approach has been taken to the pine tree removal project planned for the area after concerns were raised by community, and Chandler Ward Councillor Paige Kennett brought the issue into the spotlight at the latest meeting.
Carried unanimously, Cr Kennett brought the urgent notice of motion to alter the amount of trees removed along with other changes at the recent council meeting on Monday 10 February.
Councillor Kennett said at the meeting that Koolunga is a big, complex, sensitive issue and she appreciates this.
“I’ve done my own research, independent of previous council decisions because as your representative, I want to satisfy myself that we can make a good decision of consideration,” she said.
According to Cr Kennett’s social media, a letterbox drop was completed across 2,500 homes around Koolunga on Thursday 6 February, to let residents know of upcoming pine removal works due to start on Monday 17 February, in accordance with the Knox City Council amended Future Directions Plan from June 2023.
Following this Cr Kennett met with around 30 concerned community members at Koolunga on Monday 10 February before the regular scheduled council meeting after hearing feeding from residents late last week.
“I understand that people were not happy about this last-minute decision to meet, this was my decision and my action,” said Cr Kennett at the council meeting.
“Work continues and will continue to improve our communication and our engagement practices,” she said.
“This motion will not please everyone. I am aware of this, but the divisiveness of the groups and residents has made this an absolutely impossible position.”
Cr Kennet spoke with Star Mail after the meeting on Thursday 13 February and said the original staged removal for the pines was decided on due to several criteria.
“Rather than one by one, which was what was written in the directions plan,” she said.
The staged removal approach aimed to avoid issues with revegetating in and around the pine trees, costs of single removal and the natural end of life of the pines.
“You can’t remediate the soil around other pine trees until others have been removed because they make the soil very acidic,” she said.
“It’s more cost-efficient for the council to remove them in batches.”
“It’s balancing finance with the environment.”
Pine trees are considered an environmental weed and Koolunga Native Reserve itself is covered by an environmental overlay.
The six-hectare park in Ferntree Gully was originally part of the Chandler Boronia and Daffodil Farm, which operated from 1898 to 1971.
Acquired by Knox City Council in the early 1960s, it opened to the public in 1967 and the reserve is valued for exercise, community connection, and its natural environment.
Koolunga includes conservation areas that protect restored ecosystems and nationally significant flora, as well as regionally important habitats.
The reserve also features a waterway flowing into a creek, two kilometres of walking tracks, and a large open space for dog walking and recreation.
At the meeting, Collier Ward Cr Chris Duncan said although it may not be the popular decision, the evidence suggests that these trees need to be removed.
“It will actually cost us considerably more to defer this and to cut down the trees one by one. So although it’s not a popular decision, I think the motion that is in front of us is the lesser of two evils, so to speak,” he said.
Baird Ward Cr Peter Lockwood commended Cr Kennett and said what ‘ticker’ she showed to meet with the community, research and bring the notice to the meeting.
“You did remarkably well,” he said.
Dinsdale Ward Cr Robert Williams said Cr Kennet has shown very best practice in her role as a councillor.
“I think what we see in the chambers today is someone that’s got a genuine heart and a spirit for our community, and that should be commended,” he said.
“I believe strongly that the community has been heard.”
Mayor and Scott Ward Cr Lisa Cooper said she was happy to support the motion.
“I think this offers a offers a really good opportunity for that check-in point, to see that the revegetation is working and up to meets the expectations of our community and our council,” she said.
On the Knox City Council website, the updated news page states work will start to remove 14 pine trees from Koolunga Native Reserve in Ferntree Gully this month and staged removal of further pine trees has been put on hold until the affected area is rehabilitated, and new native plants have had a chance to become well-established.
“A decision will be made by 2028 on any further pine tree removal and the staging and timing of these works,” it reads.
