News
No more pining for pines
Native trees have replaced aging pines at Westernport Water’s Wimbledon Heights facility.
Staff from the water corporation volunteered last week to plant 300 tubestock at the site.The young trees, sourced from the Bushbank, replace pine trees removed last May.
The pines were removed after a specialist arborist ruled they were a risk to nearby houses.
The 50-year-old Monterey pines were too old and too big to be so close to houses, the arborist said.
A landscaping plan developed by Bass Coast LandCare uses native plants that will not cause similar problems.
The trees were watered-in using recycled water, the staff using gloves and special techniques to avoid the risk of contamination.
Managing Director Murray Jackson explained: “Using Class B recycled water presents some health risks, which means it must not be used as a spray. For that reason we cannot use it for some purposes, such as dust suppression during roadworks on the Bass Highway widening.”