Community & Business
6 February, 2025
400 trees set for rail trail
FOUR hundred trees will be planted along the Atherton Tablelands Rail Trail after Tablelands Regional Council approved the plantings and committed to giving financial support to the project.
Planting trees along the rail trail has been controversial in recent years, with the council rejecting a proposal in 2023 to plant trees along the corridor running parallel to Manthey Road. At the time, the council was concerned that the plantings would be in conflict with expansion plans into the corridor by businesses of the Tolga Industrial Estate.
But those expansion hopes were knocked on the head in May last year, when the new council quashed the plan.
At its most recent meeting, council approved the proposal by the Tablelands Outdoor Recreation Association Inc. (TORA) and T4 to plant 400 trees between Pillinger Drive in Tolga and the Kennedy Highway.
Cr Kevin Cardew said while he supported tree planting, he questioned if officers had taken into account whether the proposed tree plantings could possibly be in conflict with any future plans for public infrastructure such as sewer and water mains.
“If we’ve got to take out trees to do it (put in infrastructure), we all know the public uproar that occurs,” he said.
Infrastructure Services general manager Mark Vis advised there were no plans for any infrastructure in the rail corridor, noting that he had taken into account council’s recent request to investigate sewerage options for Tolga and did not foresee any infrastructure associated with that in the rail corridor either.
Mayor Rod Marti supported the proposal, saying that the trees would provide shade for trail users and a windbreak for adjacent properties.
“It will also reduce the area that we are required to slash,” he said.
“We’re happy to be supporting the project by providing just over $4000 and in-kind support to spray the area in preparation for planting.”
Behind the project are members of T4 and TORA who will plant eucalyptus trees on the rail trail just beyond the Tolga Racecourse. The trees have been propagated locally and are expected to grow 8-15m in height.
The trees will be maintained by T4 for 2-3 years, with ongoing weed management, mulching and plant maintenance. After the T4 maintenance period, it is expected the trees will be established enough to be self sufficient.
