THOSE who attended the Tamworth Regional Council meeting last week were able to witness a great example of the council and community working together when a new motion was passed regarding the plane trees in Queen St, Barraba.

The proposal, moved by councilor Helen Tickle and passed unanimously, ensures the Queen St trees will be assessed on an individual basis and that any that require removal will be replaced with the same London plane trees planted in an appropriate manner.

Individual assessment and replacement with the same species were two of the recommendations the Friends of Barraba Trees had been lobbying for since the group’s inception.

The members are excited by the new proposal, as it allows for issues to be addressed while not compromising the benefits of the streetscape.

Earlier this year, from funds raised by Friends of Barraba Trees, the committee engaged the services of consultant Hugh Taylor, a level five arborist from Australian Tree Consultants, a professional risk management and consultancy arboricultural firm that specialises in the management of urban trees and has provided its expertise for government and private organisations both here and overseas. 

This month Mr Taylor and his team will undertake an extensive site survey of the trees, assessing each individually, noting their value to the site and the community, as well as addressing any safety issues.

The resulting report will contain recommendations for the management of the trees and will be made available to Tamworth Regional Council and interested members of the Barraba community upon its completion.

Friends of Barraba Trees trusts this report will be the first in many steps towards developing a management plan for Queen St that will be beneficial to the Barraba community and Tamworth Regional Council management now and into the future.