Time to ditch problem trees

CYCLONE Tracy came knocking on Christmas Eve 1974, and by the time it said goodbye the next day it had levelled 80 per cent of Darwin

CYCLONE Tracy came knocking on Christmas Eve 1974, and by the time it said goodbye the next day it had levelled 80 per cent of Darwin.

A legacy of the rebuild was the African mahogany tree. It was picked because Darwin had been stripped of its vegetation and with the rebuild came the need to replant. The mahogany ticked the right boxes because of its greening benefits that would help cool our city known for its extreme heat and humidity.

As we all know only too well, the mahogany tree can grow to a diameter of approximately 125cm, and can grow up to 40m high. The shade it casts is magnificent, there is no arguing that fact.

However, it was these towering monsters that wreaked so much havoc during Cyclone Marcus as they crashed down on the city’s powerlines, leaving 27,000 consumers without electricity.

Today, we enter day six after Marcus blew out of town. There are still more than 2000 people who have endured hot days and sleepless nights without any power.

Darwin has seen nothing like this since Cyclone Tracy. It truly is a miracle that no one was killed or badly injured as the mahogany and gum trees toppled over.

The African mahogany tree species has served its purpose. A program to cull the trees should be put in train. So too the gums, which can be a white ants’ smorgasbord. We are watching our community leaders closely. We urge you to make the tough decision.

The risks of the mahogany tree far outweigh the benefits.

If the volume of damage to critical infrastructure caused by the countless mahogany trees that so easily toppled out of the ground isn’t enough to convince people, then they should look to the numerous examples of homes that had people sheltering inside that came so close to destruction during Marcus.