2022-08-09 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   9 AUGUST 2022




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SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                      9 AUGUST 2022

               TREE MANAGEMENT ON PUBLIC LAND POLICY

               REPLACEMENT TREES AND OFFSETS

               Noosa Council will proactively identify opportunities to increase tree canopy cover across the shire
              where appropriate. Improving the quality of this canopy cover will be achieved through planting “the
               right tree in the right location”. Consideration of this includes stock quality to the relevant Australian
               Standard, installation, maintenance, species selection criteria and diversity. Where possible,
               residents will be consulted prior to planting of new street trees.
              Where appropriate, Council will seek to replace trees that are removed with either more appropriate
              trees or else equivalent trees in a more appropriate location.
              Where a tree will need to be removed, Council may choose to plant a newtree nearby and wait until
              that new tree is established before removing the original tree.
               An offset tree register will be kept of all street tree replacements. This register will not include trees
              that do not have cultural, environmental, or landscape significance that are removed within our major
               road corridors.

               As Noosa Council is responsible for the maintenance of the road reserve and bears any associated
               risk, residents are not to plant any trees on the road reserve as often it is a case of the wrong tree in
              the wrong location resulting in future maintenance costs and risk to Council.
               ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

               This Policy applies to all Council Officers dealing with the management of trees on Council controlled
               public land.
               The Civil Operations and Assets Manager is responsible for developing and maintaining the tree
               management guiding principles in consultation with Councillors and staff.
               DEFINITIONS

               Amenity              A feature or features that provide comfort, convenience or pleasure, in this
                                    context related to open space and landscapes.
               Emergency event      A cyclone, earthquake, flood, storm, storm tide, tornado, tsunami, volcanic
                                    eruption or other natural happening
               Hazard               A source or a situation with a potential for harm in terms of human injury or ill-
                                     health, damage to property, damage to the environment, or a combination of
                                    these. In relation to trees, a hazard is the tree part(s) that might fail, and which
                                     is identified as a likely source of harm.
               Interference         The deliberate act by a person of engaging in an unapproved activity which
                                    damages trees or vegetation on Council land.
              Offset                 Planting undertaken to counterbalance the impact caused by a loss of tree/s
                                    or vegetation from a particular location and/or the landscape.
              Risk                  The likelihood that a harmful consequence (death, injury or illness) might result
                                    when exposed to the hazard. This will include the level of use of the areas
                                    surrounding trees, and the proximity of roads, buildings and other structures.
                                     In the context of trees, risk combines the likelihood of a conflict or tree failure
                                    occurring and affecting a target with the severity of the associated
                                    consequences — personal injury, property damage, or disruption of activities.
               Tree                  Long lived woody perennial plant with one or relatively few main stems or
                                    trunks, usually greater than 5 metres in height on maturity. Also includes palms
                                    and cycads for the purposes of this Policy.
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