Living With the Bush

YARRA Ranges Mayor Len Cox is calling on the State Government to reconsider its new tree-clearing rules due to the enormous potential for landslips and destruction of scenic vegetation.

And he is also pleading with residents to consult the council first before chopping down trees.

The new statewide vegetation clearing rules came into force last Thursday, allowing residents to remove all vegetation within 10m of their house and clear all undergrowth within 30m, without a council permit.

But Cr Cox said the shire wanted people to contact council staff before acting, due to landslip risks and other environmental concerns. He said the shire was working with the Municipal Association of Victoria to seek out a more holistic approach that took into account landslip risks, biodiversity issues and landscape concerns.

Meanwhile, shire building, planning and health director James Larmour-Reid said the shire would continue to uphold its tree removal policies for new developments that required builders to avoid removing trees, minimise tree loss and provide off-set planting.

http://free-press-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/mayor-for-rethink-on-tree-rules-in-yarra-ranges/

18 SEP 09 @ 06:00AMhttp://free-press-leader.whereilive.com.au/images/style/bullet-bar-grey.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: 0px 50%; "> BY BRYAN ALLCHIN