Published on Wednesday, 18 September 2019 at 11:45:15 AM
A weeping fig tree shading cars between Albany Public Library and the senior citizens centre is feeling the effects of a hard life growing in a carpark.
The weight of the limbs has caused a stress crack in a major fork of the tree that has made the tree unsafe and at serious risk of failing.
The weeping fig is one of the large old trees that have become a familiar sight in Albany and the City has been exploring ways to try to save it, without success.
City of Albany Executive Director Infrastructure and Environment Paul Camins said the tree is severely weakened and the City has to remove the much-loved tree to keep everyone safe.
“It’s a real shame as it’s a wonderful old tree and we’re really disappointed we can’t save it,” he said.
“We had an arborist assess the tree to see what could be done, but the size and position of the crack made it very hard to fix and the crack has got worse in the past few days.
“Removing the tree was a last resort but one we need to take to keep the carpark safe as a lot of people use that area and the tree could fall at any time.”
The City will be closing a number of carparks around the tree to keep the area safe until it is removed.
Albany Public Library carpark will be closed on Sunday, September 22 while the City’s reserves team remove the tree. The work is expected to take 5 to 6 hours.
Once removed the tree will be mulched and used in the City’s gardens.
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