Battery Point residents bemoan TasNetworks tree pruning, ‘heartbroken’ over ‘haphazard’ job

Residents of a leafy Hobart suburb say they are “heartbroken” after arborists working for a state-owned company “haphazardly” pruned several local trees, leaving a “trail of destruction”.

Battery Point residents are upset about trees being trimmed in their historic suburb, saying they have been pruned “haphazardly”. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Residents of a leafy Hobart suburb say they are “heartbroken” after arborists working on behalf of TasNetworks “haphazardly” pruned several local trees, leaving a “trail of destruction” in their wake.

A contractor working for TasNetworks has this week been trimming and cutting tree branches at Battery Point, a routine occurrence to prevent power outages and dangerous sparking when trees come into contact with poles and wires.

TasNetworks maintains that the trees were “cut to standard” and the work complied with the state-owned company’s obligations.

Local resident, Dr Ian Broinowski, described seeing an “unfettered work gang” being “let loose” on numerous trees, which he said now looked mangled and unappealing.

Battery Point resident Ian Broinowski is upset by the way in which trees have been cut back by Tas Networks. Picture: Linda Higginson

“They just sent in these butchers with chainsaws and they just ripped it all apart,” he said.

“The result is heartbreaking, with trees chopped haphazardly and little thought [given] to how they will look or their future growth.

“Naturally we want safety in our overhead wires and TasNetworks has the legal and moral right to ensure this occurs. Surely this can be achieved without leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.”

TasNetworks invests about $17m into vegetation management each year and councils do not have the authority to direct the company’s tree pruning activities.

Karen Abey, the council’s acting city life director, said the council was “aware of issues with the recent tree works” at Battery Point.

“We have spoken to the contractor about our concerns and they agreed to work with their staff to ensure future tree maintenance better meets expectations,” she said.

“We understand that TasNetworks has recently made changes to their program of works and safety protocols and we have requested a meeting to better understand when and by how much street trees must be pruned.”

TasNetworks undertakes routine vegetation management to prevent power outages and dangerous sparking when trees come into contact with poles and wires.

Ms Abey said none of the pruned trees in Battery Point were heritage-listed.

TasNetworks operations executive Ross Burridge said people’s safety was the company’s “top priority”.

“The consequences of not trimming trees properly include fire risk, more outages, and network damage that puts pressure on prices,” he said.

“We do respect heritage and aesthetics, and seek to protect them. We have a duty to prioritise safety.

“We’ve inspected the contractor’s work at Battery Point, where trees had grown too close to lines. The trees we audited are cut to standard. We’re confident the work complies with our obligations.”