A popular tree located in Shorncliffe which was scheduled for removal has been saved by community spirit.
The tree was earmarked by Brisbane City Council for removal but community spirit prevailed and decorated the dead tree in colourful woollen pompoms in hopes of saving it.
Councillor Jared Cassidy has commented on the removal of the tree with concerns about escarpments in the area. Several trees had become deceased as a result of erosion and vegetation tampering from Sandgate to Shorncliffe, he said. The council are in the process of assessing how to better manage the problem.
The addition of pompoms to the tree, a project to boost engagement in a community steadily recovering from COVID-19 lockdowns earlier in the year. With cases at a very low rate in the state, the community are reemerging and looking to boost spirits.
Locals have come to the defence of the tree, saying that it’s one of the most visited attractions along the street and brings joy to the neighbourhood.
Local Wendy Holden has said that the tree have given the community a big sense of happiness during the pandemic. Countless children have used their time in lockdown to create their own pompom and then been able to bring it down and hang it on the tree. She said, removing the tree would be a terrible end to the joyous project.
As the community rallies around the tree, Brisbane City Council have revoked plans to remove the tree and have assured the tree and the pompoms will remain for the time being. The council have also assured the community that a new tree will be planted for use in the near future.
The council have taken notice of the joy the tree has brought the community and as it presents no threat to public safety said that it would not be subject to removal. Councillor Jared Cassidy, who just days earlier had assured locals that if contractors couldn’t remove the pompoms in time before the trees removal, would personally do it himself.
Cr Cassidy has said that a new tree will eventually replace the dead tree when the time came. The new tree will be planted along the road in Upper Morea park. He said that the new tree will need time to grow and that the existing tree will still be around for a “long time.”
A sign of local creativity, the tree has provided an incentive for people to get out and about again. With the state looking to have beaten the pandemic, the tree symbolizes a community bouncing back after a couple of trying months.
