As you drive into Airlie Beach town centre you may notice a small but important local landmark is now missing – the large Blue Gum Tree at the entrance way.
Two weeks ago, it was chopped down to make way for a new development on the site and local climate action group, Whitsunday Conservation Council (WCC), say they are concerned that our urban canopy is being slowly destroyed by this process.
While this is just one tree, they believe it is representative of a bigger picture, stating that “Airlie Beach is already noticeably hotter than Cannonvale due to the predominance of dark-coloured hard surfaces and the loss of tree cover, which is ongoing and unregulated.”
“From all directions this tree is an imposing factor of the entrance statement to Airlie Main Street, more importantly provides habitat and food for local fauna,” said Jacquie Sheils, President of WCC, in a letter of appeal sent to Council.
“So many large mature trees have been lost to development in recent years and a dominant beautiful tree such as this deserves our protection and care to thrive and provide shade, shelter and habitat.”
Approaching Whitsunday Regional Council to appeal, the environmental group were told that there is no tree policy protecting local land.
Less than a month after this appeal, concerns were realised when the tree was felled.
“Apparently the developer has contributed a handful of seedling Blue Gums to the revegetation project at Twin Creeks Cannonvale to ‘compensate’ for the destruction of this mature tree,” said WCC Secretary Faye Chapman.
“But this publicly funded revegetation project is already in place, so these trees would have been planted anyway.”
WCC are now asking why Council has no policy on local matters of environmental significance, including a ‘Significant Tree Register’ to provide protection for iconic trees like the one lost earlier this month.
“Other Councils in our region have tree protection and maintenance policies and do not allow mature trees to be removed without first making every effort to maintain and nurture these beneficial giants of nature,” said Faye.
“This tree was on the extreme corner of the development block, surely enlightened design and prudent trimming could have seen this tree safely incorporated into the plan for the new hotel.”
The old Blue Gum Tree acted as an entrance statement to Airlie Main Street
It was chopped down to make way for a new development at the site of the Colonial Motel
The iconic tree featured on postcards in the 1980s
The stump is now a memorial feature
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