130-year-old Algerian oak tree saved from possible removal after being crowned Victoria’s ‘Tree of the Year’

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A 130-year-old Algerian oak tree has found itself in the firing line of Ausnet's Western Renewables Link, sparking fears it will be removed to make way for overhead power lines. But residents of Kingston, a small town between Daylesford and Ballarat, were delighted this week when the oak was named Victoria's Tree of the Year. They now hope the tree's new title will save it from being chopped down.

Transcript

00:00Meet Victoria's Tree of the Year.

00:05This majestic Algerian oak has sat by the banks of Birches Creek in Kingston for the last 130 years.

00:12It's never been pruned and the boughs just go right down to the ground.

00:17But its future is in danger.

00:21We found out that AusNet's transmission lines were coming through here

00:27and it was going to mean the destruction of the tree.

00:30So we started a campaign to try and save it.

00:33A key part of the campaign was nominating the tree for Victoria's Tree of the Year.

00:38And this week it won.

00:40I was over the moon. I did come down to the tree actually and I told the tree.

00:44That was pretty good. The tree was wrapped.

00:47The Tree of the Year is run by the National Trust,

00:50which hopes AusNet will now review its plans.

00:53We recognise that transmission lines have an impact wherever they go.

00:58But I think the community has spoken on this one that they don't want it to go right there.

01:04Locals fear losing the Algerian oak and replacing it with overhead transmission lines

01:09wouldn't just hurt the visual appearance of the landscape in Kingston.

01:13They're also concerned about what it might do to the local ecosystem.

01:16You'll see platypus swimming around the waterholes, which is fantastic.

01:22It's a beautiful, beautiful spot.

01:24We are absolutely for renewable energy.

01:28We think it's a really important thing.

01:31But we don't think that a small number of people should actually cop a very large bill.

01:37A Western Renewables Link spokesperson says the environmental impacts are being assessed,

01:43including submissions about the tree's significance.

01:46If a tree becomes Victoria's crown tree of the year,

01:50what authority is going to cut it down?

01:53Standing strong in the face of development.

01:56Standing strong in the face of development.

01:58ten

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