ALL six Norfolk Island pines at Kerang District Health will be removed, after two arborists deemed that they would not survive earthworks to build the new entrance and car park.
Work has already begun to remove three trees, while the remaining three will be cut down in coming weeks.
The trees have been the subject of a long-running debate that began in 2013 when an arborist engaged by the health service questioned the trees’ ability to survive extensive earthworks to build a new entrance and car park.
In response to the report, numerous community groups wrote to the health service urging the preservation of trees, describing them as a landmark and icon of Kerang.
Kerang District Health chief executive officer Robert Jarman said the board subsequently decided to support the retention of the trees.
“The board all along had attempted to retain the trees but it just wasn’t going to be possible given the excavation that’s taken place,” he said.
“Our concern all along was based on the fact that the car park had to come down to the floor level of the hospital and that meant there had to be excavation of between one and 1.5 metres.”
Mr Jarman said the excavation had caused “extensive root damage” to three of the trees, while arborists had decided that the remaining three would also not survive.
“We had always hoped that we could work around them but the recent assessment by two arborists has confirmed that the trees will not survive and are dangerous,” he said.
Kerang Historical Society member Ollie Jane – who previously led a push to retain the trees – said he was extremely disappointed and surprised to learn they were being cut down.
“It seems ridiculous that they’ve done all that work and all of a sudden decided they have to come out,” he said.
“I’ve always maintained the trees are in really good health, so why don’t they leave them there and see how they go?”
Mr Jane said the trees should have been incorporated into the design of the new facility when the initial plans were drawn up.
“It’s a shame that they’ve been here for more than 100 years and all of a sudden we can’t work around them,” he said.
Mr Jarman said the area would form part of a garden once the trees were removed.
He said the trunks of the trees would be sent to Arbuthnot Sawmills to be milled into timber, some of which could be used for a feature wall at the hospital.
