Page242 - Week 01 - Thursday, 3 December 2020

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(8) How many complaints has the ACT Government received about damage to private infrastructure (including but not limited to paths, drives, walls, structures, and sewage lines) caused by the roots of Manchurian pear street trees, in each of the past ten financial years.

(9) How many times has the ACT Government reimbursed a leaseholder for damage caused by the roots of a Manchurian pear street tree, in each of the past ten financial years

(10) In each case, what has been the (a) total request for reimbursement and (b) amount actually reimbursed to the leaseholder.

Mr Steel: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:

(1) TCCS digital records indicate that only one Pyrus ussuriensis (Manchurian pear) has been planted in McKellar since 2002. This was planted in Burns Circuit McKellar in Autumn 2017.

(2) TCCS does not have a record of the number of P. ussuriensis in McKellar.

(3) TCCS data indicates that there are no additional streets in McKellar that were planted with P. ussuriensis as the official street tree species beyond the five streets listed in (1).

(4) No digital records exist that show an instance where P. ussuriensis was removed and replaced with another P. ussuriensis from a street in McKellar.

(5) TCCS digital records indicate that:

a. two P. ussuriensis were removed from Burns Circuit in 2013 because of damage sustained during a storm. Both trees were replaced with P. calleryana ‘Aristocrat’ (ornamental pear) in 2013.

b. Two trees were removed in Dumas Street in 2014 due to storm damage, neither of these trees were replaced.

c. Two trees were removed in Bancks Crescent in 2014 due to storm damage, neither of these trees were replaced due to overcrowding and proximity to other infrastructure.

(6)

a. One tree was removed from Jeanne Young Street in 2014 due to storm damage, this tree was not replaced.

b. One tree was removed from Jeanne Young Street in 2019 due to storm damage, this tree was not replaced due to the narrow verge width.

(7) April 2019 as part of an update to the Municipal Infrastructure Standards 25: Plant Species for Urban Landscape Projects prior to the release of the updated document in April 2019. P. ussuriensis was removed from the approved species list due to the propensity of the species to exhibit poor branch structure that can result in splitting. Pyrus calleryana ‘Aristocrat’, a pear species of similar size and form, is now used instead as it has better branch structure, requiring less maintenance and providing greater longevity.

(8) Information management systems do not allow a search of claims by species.


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