Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree

By ERWIN CHLANDA

Tree 35, a small ghost gum (pictured above), will be cut down but not quite yet.

The good news is the two big lemon scented gums to the south of it (pictured at right), Tree 30 and Tree 32, “will both be retained and protected throughout the works,” the latest Todd Mall $20m "Regenerating the Alice Town Centre" project.

But Tree 36, to the immediate north of Tree 35, will get the chop, according to a map provided by the council to Mall traders. Is that this majestic ghost gum that looks pretty healthy (below)?

We don’t know because the town council seems to have adopted a dual information system: One is for individual Mall traders, one of whom was told about Tree 35, and a second one for the general public.

Its motto is: “I understand that every tree designated for removal will have a sign attached to it. If this isn’t the case then I will investigate as to why.”

A reader providing information to the Alice Springs News didn’t see any numbers. We passed that on to the council but they didn’t get back to us.

We'll keep you posted.

UPDATE 5.35pm

Hi Erwin,

As you can see in the attached image, tree 35 is located in front of Outbush. It will remain in place until the relevant stage of the project but has been identified for removal.

Within the upper canopy (‘tops’), the tree exhibits included bark, a structural defect where bark is trapped between stems, resulting in a weak union and increased risk of failure, as well as regrowth along the trunk and branches (known as epicormic growth).

This type of regrowth typically occurs when a tree is under stress and is generally poorly attached and structurally weak. As a result, there is an increased likelihood of branch failure, which presents a safety risk within a high pedestrian area such as Todd Mall.

Tree 36 is directly beside it.

Alice Springs Town Council