Attachment 4 - Treee Management Plan_V1

6 S ITE D ISCUSSION
The Ozcare property is located within a mix of natural and planted trees and vegetation. With
the site built approximately 30 years ago, most of the landscape planted trees have reached
their mature size and, in many areas, naturally occurring trees have grown up and infilled
spaces.

The existing site facility is proposed to be upgraded with the redevelopment of existing
buildings. This includes the upgrade of inground services with a new Fire Tank and Pump
Room and new Generator and Switchboard to be installed on the western side of the site that
abuts the natural road verge of Cooyar Street.

In recent years the creation of a Fire Break around the north and eastern site of the property
was approved. These works are planned to be undertaken as part of the upgrade and in the
process an access track will be created that will facilitate the construction phase of the project.

The Black Sheoak, Allocasuarina littoralis, has been highlighted as a tree species requiring
special consideration due to its importance to the local fauna, particularly the Glossy Black
Cockatoo. The Black Sheoak is a fast-growing semi-pioneer species which is found throughout
the site and the surrounding areas of Noosa and the Sunshine Coast. A broad age class of
these trees are found within the project scope area of the site. Clumps of emerging, naturally
occurring trees are along the edge of the Girraween Bushland, individual semi-mature trees
are throughout the site and mature and advanced-age trees are found in areas that have not
been disturbed in recent decades.

Black Sheoaks as a species, have a relatively short life expectancy as a mature tree and they
are highly susceptible to localised change which can bring about sudden decline, death, and
failure.

On observing the older trees on site, there is common trend for them to succumb to
environmental or site changes, quickly succumbing to root plate failure when infected with a
decay fungus. Commonly this fungus was noted as a Ganoderma species with fruiting bodies
found on both failed and on the standing trunks of older trees. The fungus attacks the tree’s
main trunk heartwood timber and structural roots, frequently resulting in root plate failure. This
can be seen throughout the site on many occasions.




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