October 20, 2006
By Lucille Davie
THE tree transplanting exercise necessary for the Gautrain is well under way, with 65 trees removed so far.
It is expected that up to 300 trees will be removed from Rosebank and Sandton for the railway line. The first tree, a golden trumpet or Tabebuia chrysotrich, was removed from the corner of Jellicoe Avenue and Oxford Road in Rosebank in early September.
The Gautrain authorities have given an undertaking that they will replace every tree removed with three indigenous trees. "This is to ensure that the environment is not lesser off, post the development of the Gautrain Express," said Prema Naidoo, the mayoral committee member for the environment.
A ring is dug around the base of the tree, keeping the roots intact
The trees are being removed so that detour roads can be widened as sections of major arterials like Oxford and Rivonia roads will be closed for the next four years while construction of the Gautrain tunnels and stations takes place.
On Thursday, 19 October, the press were invited to witness the removal of a well-established, 4m tall fan palm from the island on the corner of Jan Smuts Avenue and 7th Avenue, Parktown North.
The operation is being overseen by Earth Architectural Landscapes, in partnership with Worth It Landscapes and Bhubesitrans, the crane and truck hire company. Another 109 trees are due to be removed from Jellicoe Avenue and Oxford and Bolton roads by the end of October in the first phase, says landscape architect Greg Straw of Earth Architectural Landscapes.
Pin oaks, wild bananas, bush willows, jacarandas, stinkwoods and philadendrons have already been removed and replanted. These trees have been replanted in Eldorado Park, Mapeka Park in Soweto, Lenasia, and at the Johannesburg Botanic Garden in Emmarentia. Mapetla Park and Immick Park in Soweto are still to receive trees.
The tree removal involves workmen digging a circle around the base of the tree. Straw says the root ball is often quite easy to lift because its growth has been inhibited by the underlying service structures, or often by the remains of an old stretch of road which was simply covered when the road was extended on to the central island.
Two cranes are manoeuvred to either side of the tree. Large canvas belts are placed around the trunk, and with a little tugging and pushing back and forth, the cranes lift the tree neatly out of the ground.
Underground systems are sometimes disturbed. Straw says that the relevant agencies are called immediately to replace or reconnect the cables or pipes, as he is required to cover the hole created by the removal.
The tree is then lifted on to a truck and taken to its replanting destination, where a hole has already been dug. Root-enhancing fertilizers are used, and the trees are watered continually for the next six months to ensure their survival, after which they are handed over to Johannesburg City Parks for further care.
"We have survival success rates of 95 percent," says Straw. If a tree dies, it will be dug out.
In a smooth operation, with traffic having to be diverted, six trees of four metres or more in height are removed each day, says Straw. Large shrubs have also been removed.
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