DAVID WHITE/STUFF
Auckland Council has employed security guards to prevent members of the public from entering the site during tree removal. She said Auckland Council was spending an average of “just under $50,000” on the security a week, however the final cost would depend on how long they are required for. Wyss said the price for security was “higher than originally anticipated” but the council would continue to keep security on site until it was deemed safe to re-enter.
DAVID WHITE/STUFF
Security guards are working “around the clock” as the removal of 95-year-old trees are underway. “Security is also necessary to ensure the safety of council’s staff and contractors, and to assist with the protection of assets, for example diggers, wood-chippers and noise and vibration sensors,” Wyss said.
“There’s decade old trees in this forest. It’s a regenerating matter forest,” Abel said. “It will completely change the structure of the forrest. Native tree ferns will dry out without the canopy. Pine trees provide habitat for birds and insects, and there’s hundred of tons of carbon stored in these trees. “The structure, character and ecology of this forest should be respected.”
Steve Abel/Supplied
Activist Steve Abel says work to clear a path to fell the pine trees has resulted in some native trees, such as this pōhutukawa have been cut down. Abel claims a 15-year-old kauri tree and a 30-year-old pōhutukawa tree were among the natives that had been cut down to clear a path for the felling.