St George letters: Tree register needs to branch out in future

Oatley Flora and Fauna Conservation Society (OFF) has been advocating for the inclusion of the Significant Tree Register into the Georges River Council Tree Management Policy since this document was first published in 2019. So we welcome Council's commitment to compiling the register.

The following comments are made in the spirit of providing genuine feedback on the outcome to date and continuing to provide support for the ongoing development of the STR.

The community has enthusiastically embraced the process.

Over 60 days of the public consultation, 253 nominations were submitted. Many OFF members submitted nominations for the STR.

As you would expect, many of our nominations were for Australian native and locally indigenous trees. However, many members are disappointed that their nominations were rejected.

The Post Consultation Report has shown that only 2.5 per cent of the nominations were accepted. This represented 16 sites, including 257 individual trees derived from just 10 species. Of these, six species are locally native to the LGA (176 trees), two are Australian natives but not local (five trees), and two are exotics (75 trees).

A large number of rejected species included: Turpentine, Melaleuca (paperbark), Tallowwood and Syzigium (Lilli Pilli) as well as other Eucalypts and Angophoras.

It was perhaps not surprising that 74 mature Canary Island Date Palms in Laycock Road, Penshurst made it onto the list. It is acknowledged that these trees have been nominated for their high visual, heritage and historic value to the local community. It's just that in any local bushland reserve these palms are listed as an environmental weed for their viability to set seed and proliferate. We just wonder how many offspring from each of these palms have grown in our local bushland and people's gardens over the decades.

It is difficult to comprehend that in an Local Government Area that is one of the bushiest in Sydney and prides itself on a rich biodiversity, in a suburb such as Oatley the only tree of significance is an exotic pine. (The Lone Pine offspring from Gallipoli - once again of historic value.)

One way of future proofing the unique character of our sandstone woodlands around the peninsulas of the Georges River and the Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forests (STIF) that once covered much of this Local Government Area, would be to recognise the native species associated with each vegetation type and to protect them as best we can.

It is disappointing that the remnant turpentine forest in Boorea Reserve, adjacent to Oatley railway station, that OFF members since 2018 have helped to maintain bi-monthly - didn't make it onto the Significant Tree Register.

I hope that Council can consider this pocket of STIF vegetation in the next round of nominations.

Adding remnant trees such as these to the Tree Register would convey a strong message to the public that the council greatly values the remnant locally native trees in our area.

Sonia Davis (Leader, January 12) is spot on in being peeved about special entitlement being given to 'GoGet' and the like, over arguably more worthy users for key parking spaces.

In 2023, in a parked-out Kogarah street, I left my car in a vacant such space for less than five minutes... not having a clue as to who or what 'GoGet' was.

Soon after, I received a three-figure fine in the mail. From Sonia, I now learn 'GoGet' is a (private enterprise) ride-share company.

I support the system of Council allocation of car-parking spaces being looked into. For example, with an expanding population, Mortdale has recently lost six spaces, due to 'improvements' to the shopping precinct!

I am writing about the e-scooter trial in the George River Council area.

While I appreciate the purpose of it, in the first eight days of the trial my partner and I have nearly been hit twice by riders on the footpath.

On one occasion there were two people, a male and a female, on the one scooter and neither of them wearing helmets and riding at speed on the footpath.

Bicycles are not allowed on the footpath why should these be allowed?

They are also being left everywhere and not in designated areas. This makes the area look ugly and cheap and creating a mess.

However my biggest concern is seeing one male leaving a hotel and jump on one of these scooters and ride away without a helmet on the footpath. Drink driving is illegal. Drink riding on a bicycle is illegal. This should also apply to e-scooters and be enforced. I fear that people are abusing these e-scooters. This is all in the first eight days.

The scheme needs to be stopped now before there are any serious accidents.