The City of Cockburn's responses to a University of Notre Dame student, resultant article printed in the Cockburn City Herald on 15 May 2020 about trees poisoned at Perlinte Point, North Coogee -
28.2.20 -
Question: Are you able to disclose if there was any progress in persecuting someone or if the trees now pose a threat to public safety and if there are any immediate plans to remove and/or replace them?
Answer: We still do not know who was responsible for poisoning the trees. At present they are not considered a safety threat.
Residents have been advised the dead trees will remain in place until they become a safety hazard and then they will be removed. Replacement trees will be planted and should these be poisoned or vandalised, we would seek Council support to install signage.
2.4.20 -
Question: Which parks do you oversee?
I oversee in excess of 100 parks and streetscapes distributed throughout the City. I look after all the parks and sporting oval in Coolbellup, Hamilton Hill, North Coogee, along with a couple of parks in Bibra Lake.
Question: What exactly is your job?
Answer: My role includes the following -
- Supervising 3 x 3 crew mowing teams and 2 x 2 crew landscape teams
- Managing contractors maintaining parks under my portfolio
- Turf management of sporting ovals
- Horticultural management of streetscapes
- Responding to Customer Requests (over 500 individual requests per annum).
- Administrative duties
- Financial control of the parks and streetscapes under my portfolio
Question: When was the last routine inspection that the trees appeared to be healthy?
Answer: The City has limited capacity to perform inspections of all the trees within the municipality. However, the City has an inspection program for significant trees within parks and streetscapes, highly patronised areas, i.e. Bibra Lake Playground, Coogee Beach, etc. and specimen trees dotted across the City.
Question: How often do these cases occur?
Answer: N/A
Question: When and how were you made aware of the poisoning?
Answer: We received notification through a customer request advising that the tree’s health looked compromised.
Question: What action do you take regarding the maintenance of the poisoned trees and the flora surrounding them?
Answer: We engaged the City’s contracted Arboriculturalist to conduct an assessment and make recommendations on future management.
Question: When were you contacted regarding the case?
Answer: The arborist was contacted in April 2019.
Question: What exactly is an arborist?
Answer: A qualified professional in the cultivation, management and study of trees, shrubs, vines and other perennial woody plants.
Question: What actions did you take in your examination?
Answer: A visual assessment.
Question: What were your findings regarding the manner in which the trees were poisoned?
Answer: The trees were in a state of poor health and there was evidence that the trees had been vandalised by holes, potentially via a drill, to poor a poisonous liquid.
Question: What was your risk assessment of the trees?
Answer: There was a risk of limb failure and excessive leaf drop should the recommendation not be implemented.