Invercargill City Council will begin proactively removing a section of trees in Queens Park next week, helping to keep the public safe from the risk of falling branches and trees.   

The trees, on the north-eastern side of Coronation Avenue, will be removed between Monday 24 March and Friday 11 April.  

The work is guided by the Invercargill City Council Tree Plan 2020, as well as Civil Aviation Authority guidelines around the management of trees in the airspace around Invercargill Airport.  

Manager Parks and Recreation Caroline Rain said arborists were proactively removing the trees before they became a hazard.  

“The trees, mostly poplars and pinus radiata, are between 90 and 100 years old,” she said.   

“We are taking a proactive approach to ensure that no one is hurt by falling branches or trees as they further age and structurally decline.”   

The Tree Plan 2020 includes a replacement planting provision, which will see a line of pines, macrocarpa and eucalyptus planted in place of the felled trees. These species were chosen for their ability to grow fast and quickly fill the gaps in shelter.  

A secondary line of native shrubs and smaller specimen trees will be planted alongside the shelter belt.  

Coronation Avenue and the George Street track in Queens Park will be closed to the public between 7am and 2pm each day while the work is carried out. The fitness track between Coronation Avenue and the George Street track in the immediate vicinity of the trees will be closed for the duration of the project.   

There will be temporary closures of some facilities, including the castle playground and the public toilets at the northern end of Coronation Avenue, as the work moves into those areas.  

Rain said the closed areas would be clearly signposted.   

“For everyone’s safety, we ask the public to follow the signs and keep off the closed tracks.”  

Clean-up and chipping of residual wood is expected to take several weeks after the felling is complete. 

More information about the Tree Plan 2020 can be found on the Invercargill City Council website.