Man’s plea to remove dangerous tree in Mooroolbark ignored by Yarra Ranges Council

A MOOROOLBARK pensioner who lives in the shadow of a monstrous gum says he has been pleading with Yarra Ranges Council for almost two years for it to be removed.

Mooroolbark man worried about trees

A MOOROOLBARK pensioner who lives in the shadow of a monstrous gum says he has been pleading with Yarra Ranges Council for almost two years for the tree to be removed.

Jack Kleynjan, who lives in Elms Rd, said that despite council workers tying a pink ribbon around the tree six weeks ago, which he believes indicates it should be pruned back, nothing had been done.

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His concerns come just a week after a toddler was killed in the shire when a 30m tree crashed through his bedroom during a storm.

Mr Kleynjan said the council needed to respond more quickly to people’s concerns about trees.

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The gum, which is about 6m from his house, has dropped branches on his roof and lifted the road with its roots.

Mr Kleynjan said the tree had been inspected numerous times in the past two years, but he was still worried it could fall during a storm.

“Most recently a group of (council workers) came along with a cherry picker and did a lot of talking but didn’t do anything and left,” he said.

“It’s frustrating; I wish they’d at least lop off some branches.”

Council spokeswoman Tracey Varley said the tree had been inspected six times and pruned four times.

“The latest inspection was in January, where light pruning was recommended,” Ms Varley said.

“This work was assessed as low risk, and given the volume of high-priority work that needs to be completed after recent storms, this request won’t be actioned until the end of March.”

Ms Varley said there were an estimated five million trees growing on council-controlled land, and the council received an average of 6000 requests a year regarding trees.