A MORE than 60-year-old beloved bottle tree at a Glass House Mountains park has been cut down after severe rotting made it a hazard to the public, council says.
Glass House Mountains Community Hall committee said its removal without consultation was extremely concerning and upsetting to members.
They said the tree was planted in the late 1950s after the park area was cleared by the Junior Farmers group.
“Apparently, the planting material came from a bottle tree grown in Mrs Glad Moore’s garden in Coonowrin Road,” the committee told GC&M News.
“As such, it has been of quite some significance to the hall committee in particular.”
But pictures taken before its removal on September 27 showed the tree had been seriously damaged by the rot.
Division 1 Councillor Rick Baberowski said he was also concerned that the tree had been removed, seemingly without consultation, but on seeing the state of the tree understood why it was removed as matter of urgency. “Internal Parks staff raised the request late August, reporting the tree as rotting The request was taken to peer review in September for discussion, and priority removal works were subsequently raised,” he said. “I’m advised that priority removal took place owing to public safety risk, the concern being the imminent failure of the tree over the amenities building.”