Parents outraged as trees chopped down at central Victorian schools
A Lone Pine tree and strawberry plants are among vegetation abruptly cleared from a central Victorian school as part of a state government tree removal program.
Parents at two primary schools in central Victoria are furious after trees were cut down on their grounds ahead of the bushfire season, with little or no warning. The Department of Education is responsible for the tree removal, which is part of the government's $8 million program to clear vegetation at 330 schools in bushfire-prone areas.
Elphinstone Primary School, located east of Castlemaine, and Carisbrook Primary School, 45 minutes west of Elphinstone, had trees removed from within 10 meters of their buildings. Parents and staff at both schools were unaware of the tree removal until it was completed. One parent at Elphinstone, Helen Officer, said the school had not been given notice to move or transplant trees, and that the removal of three trees and five others would leave little shade for students.
The Lone Pine tree, which was seeded from Gallipoli and planted in 2015, was also removed. Carisbrook Primary School had a tree within 10 meters of the school's buildings removed as well. The Victorian Schools Building Authority said it would reflect on its practices and work with the schools and the arborist about whether the remaining trees marked for removal could be saved.
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