Tree lopping companies have been pamphlet dropping and offering discounts for entire streets on the back of new bushfire laws that allow land-clearing in urban areas, as councils plead with the Rural Fire Service to intervene.
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Mosman Council has reported that 14 trees on private property had been removed last week for improved views and another five are expected to be chopped down this week when the residents are able to engage busy contractors.
Eight trees had been removed for development applications and the council received 25 calls from the public about removing trees for development under the 10/50 laws, which allow people who are living within 350 metres of designated bushfire prone areas to clear trees on their property within 10 metres of a home and shrubs within 50 metres, without seeking approval. It makes no distinction between bushland and urban areas.
Mosman deputy mayor Roy Bendall said the council had presented evidence of the tree lopping to the RFS last week and they had been promised a "workshop".
Mr Bendall said he feared it was all "window dressing, trying to placate us and not face the fact that, while this policy has merit in rural and heavily vegetated areas, the sheer scale of the clearing zones is ridiculous in highly urbanised areas".
"When you have Spit Road in the clearing zone, you have to wonder if enough thought has gone into this?" Mr Bendall said.
Mosman Council has moved to make urgent representations to the Premier, the Minister for the Environment and the Minister for Emergency Services about the excessive clearing and the impact it is having on the character of the suburb.
Greens MP David Shoebridge said local neighbourhoods are banding together to fight the laws in a campaign "to give 10/50 the chop".
"The laws are so obviously open to exploitation that we are even seeing tree loppers offering discount rates if entire streets sign up to chainsaw their trees", he said.
"Across greater Sydney unscrupulous property owners are rushing to chop down as many trees down as quickly as possible in case sanity prevails and the laws are amended."
In Pittwater, the council also resolved last week to continue to make representations to the NSW Rural Fire Service to address the "unintended consequences" of the code and to write to the government about the indirect impact on the planning processes as well as threatened species legislation.
A council spokeswoman said one case which had ended up in the Land and Environment Court was about saving a significant spotted gum from development. After the code was introduced, the tree was removed.
As you are aware, after your article the RFS officers did visit the SHOROC Councils, evidence was provided to them and we have been promised a workshop, however I fear this is all window dressing, trying to placate us, and not face the fact that while this policy has merit in rural and heavily vegetated areas, the sheer scale of the clearing zones is ridiculous in highly urbanised areas. When you have Spit Road in the clearing zone , you have to wonder if enough thought has gone into this ?
As you are aware, after your article the RFS officers did visit the SHOROC Councils, evidence was provided to them and we have been promised a workshop, however I fear this is all window dressing, trying to placate us, and not face the fact that while this policy has merit in rural and heavily vegetated areas, the sheer scale of the clearing zones is ridiculous in highly urbanised areas. When you have Spit Road in the clearing zone , you have to wonder if enough thought has gone into this ?
