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People’s Post
CLAREMONT
Efforts to save tree cut short NETTALIE VILJOEN NETTALIE.VILJOEN@MEDIA24.COM
T
TREES FIND SAFE ARBOR Residents got their backs into it on Friday 21 August when they attended and participated in an Arbor Day tree planting ceremony held at Draper Street Park just off Palmyra Road in Claremont. Ian Iversen, the councillor for ward 59 who organised the event together with resident Mikhail Manuel, says strict Covid-19 precautions were followed by all those present. Trees planted included Ekebergia Capensis (Cape ash, essenhout), Vacellia Xanthophloea (fever trees) and Portulacaria Afra (spekboom). PHOTO: MIKHAIL MANUEL
he fight to save a yellowwood tree located on the boundary of 3 Parry Road in Claremont was cut short when a group of workmen fell the majestic giant on Tuesday 23 June. Armed with a permit authorised by the department of environment, forestry and fisheries (Deff), the team arrived at the residential development site early that morning and began to cut down the protected tree despite a neighbour’s plea to hold off until the issue of the permit could be properly considered and reviewed. People’s Post first reported on this matter earlier this year (“Standing up for Trees”, 17 March) when TreeKeepers, a voluntary community group dedicated to conserving urban trees and forests, was asked to investigate possible damage to a yellowwood tree – one of the trees on South African National Biodiversity Institute’s (Sanbi) list of protected trees – located on what was once a densely wooded property. Just over a year ago, the property had been sold to Linear Developments which applied for the plot to be subdivided into five portions. It was alleged that workers on site were digging trenches close to the tree and chopping at its base. According to the National Forests Act (NFA) no person may cut, disturb, damage or destroy any protected tree, unless they apply
for a permit from the City of Cape Town to do so. Deff inspected the site on Monday 16 March and subsequently confirmed that illegal minor root cutting did take place. In an email message dated 20 March, Thando Ndudula of Deff Western Cape, wrote: “The transgressor has been served with a written notice for contravening the National Forests Act, 1998.” Ndudula was responding to an email sent by a concerned neighbour who requested an update on the inspection. In the correspondence with Deff the neighbour, who asked not to be named, indicated he would like to make representations against an application to fell or cut back the yellowwood tree should such an application be made. No further communication between the two parties was entered into until the day the workmen showed up at 3 Parry Road. On the workmen’s arrival, the neighbour immediately contacted Ndudula, who had issued the permit, as well as her senior, Izak van der Merwe, asking for the tree felling to be held off so that the permit could be considered and reviewed. He claims Ndudula took the view that the issue of the permit was justified and that Van der Merwe was ambivalent and unhelpful. It was understood that, had time allowed, the neighbour would have brought an application to the court to stop the felling of the tree pending a review of the grant of the permit. When he questioned Deff’s actions after the fact, Thandeka Gwala, assistant director of forestry regulations and support, in an
email said: “The NFA is a balancing act which allows for both conservation and development thus promoting sustainability.” People’s Post approached Deff on Friday 10 July for comment on the run of events at 3 Parry Road. Although Deff’s media office acknowledged receipt of the media query and promised feedback, none materialised. When People’s Post first spoke to Linear in March, it was said that the company would need to apply for a permit to trim up to 25% of the tree’s canopy. It also stated that the plot on which the yellowwood tree stood had, in the meantime, been sold and that Linear could not guarantee what the new owners would do with the tree. Asked to explain how the situation went from the tree being trimmed to it being felled, Sean Paterson, a project manager of Linear Developments, says the decision was reached after they had met with Deff, Krige Tree Services, its engineer and architect as well as the new property owners. He says the initial plan was to retain the tree and to trim back 25% of the canopy to allow space for a double-storey home. “Our engineer worked on a design to bridge the tree roots with a lintel, but he did not recommend this as a long-term solution. After meeting with all of the professionals and a representative from Deff it was recommended that we submit an application for the removal. Our clients were not comfortable taking this long-term risk and they asked us to submit an application to Deff to remove the tree.” V Continued on page 3