A group of local arborists are calling for an immediate stop to the removal of a 125-year-old Giant Sequoia at Franklin Primary School, claiming the tree poses no significant safety risk.
Michael Johnston from ARBcare Tasmania said the historic tree is being unnecessarily destroyed despite recent assessments deeming it safe.
“There’s no reason behind it,” he told Pulse.
“All I know is that it has lost one limb and which landed on a roof, and that was in high winds and storm conditions.”
He estimated the tree to be about 30 metres high.
Johnston said multiple arborist companies refused to take on the removal job.
“Because it’s such a historical tree. There’s nothing wrong with it,” he said.
“There’s no point to do what the works that are being done at this point.”
He said another arborist company began cutting down the sequoia on Tuesday, with work expected to take several days.
Johnston said the school appeared to be “ill-educated about the safety of it” and suggested child safety concerns were driving the decision.
“It’s one in a million chance,” he said of any risk the tree might pose.
A group of local arborists has written to the school expressing “strong confidence that the tree does not present an imminent or unacceptable risk to students or staff”.
The arborists are demanding a transparent assessment by an independent Level 5 consulting arborist and the release of existing risk reports.
Johnston said Tasmania has already lost two similar trees in Hobart parks, making preservation of this specimen more critical.
“As far as my knowledge goes, a risk assessment has been done on it and it’s fine,” he said.
The removal is continuing despite the protests, with arborists saying once work progresses further, saving the tree will become impossible.
Franklin Primary School has been approached for comment.
