A tree expert has called on Development Victoria to ensure the true value of trees on the former Albion Explosives site is fully understood.
As previously reported by Star Weekly, plans for the development of the 41-hectare site on Ballarat Road, Cairnlea is underway.
As part of the development, numerous trees on the site will be removed.
Dr Greg Moore, who lives in Brimbank, said he had major concerns about the proposal and believes not all the trees need to be knocked down.
Dr Moore has a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to the environment, particularly arboriculture.
“One of the things I would say is that the developer always wants a cleared site,” he said.
“I was amazed that there was no report on each tree and no reports later than 2012. That is a long time, that’s nine years ago.”
Dr Moore spoke with concerned residents about the site at a recent meeting. One of his main concerns is that Brimbank, and the west as a whole, is already lacking tree coverage.
He said with various big infrastructure projects underway, 10,000 trees could be knocked down across the west, with low canopy coverage correlating with economic status.
“The consideration of the role of trees in the western suburbs in terms of climate change, was one of the lines I was taking [at the meeting],” he said.
“I’m certain some of those trees will have to be removed, some do have poor structures.“
Dr Moore said he would like to see each tree individually assessed and then a decision made whether it should be saved, looking at the value the tree has to the area.
He said his general rule is that each tree which is removed should be replaced by eight to 20 trees, as there is no guarantee a seedling will survive.
Development Victoria property development group head Penny Forrest said as part of the project, about 3,000 new trees will be planted and well-maintained to ensure their long-term health.
“An arboricultural report has recently been prepared – which includes an assessment of all existing trees on site – and will be available for public review when the planning exhibition phase commences next year,” Ms Forrest said.
