WITH wild weather conditions wreaking havoc across the region last week, Wattle Range Country Fire Service group officer Fred Stent has called for better management of roadside trees amidst fears for motorists’ safety.
In the past week more than 25mm of rain fell at Coonawarra, with over 15mm falling between Wednesday and Thursday as storms swept the Limestone Coast.
During this period, the Wattle Range region saw the most devastating impacts after winds of up to 109kph tore through the area toppling trees and damaging properties.
From Wednesday night until early Thursday morning, Mr Stent said the Wattle Range CFS responded to around 15 call outs in addition to the 15 or so incidents they came across while out on the roads.
This included trees fallen across roads, damaged and leaking roofs and even a tree branch piercing a driver’s windscreen just south of Penola.
A large tree blocking the highway between Penola and Nangwarry reportedly held the road up for an extended period of time while CFS crewworked tirelessly to clear the scene.
“It was actually the Mil-Lel CFS that cleared that tree as they were already on their way to help out in Penola when they came across it,” he said.
“It was just good timing they were there and ready to clear it up, but also meant a hold up further down the line because of that.
“There were around three or four trees in just that area that fell over the road, it is a really dangerous time to be driving in storms like these when we have so many overhanging trees.”
As a first responder in a country town, Mr Stent is often one of the first on the scene at a motor vehicle accident which is something he said he does not wish upon anyone.
“CFS members, ambos, police, we are all the ones who have to head out to these kind of accidents when they happen,” he said.
“Unfortunately, accidents happen all too often and when we live in a tight-knit community it is often someone we know.
“We cannot stop all accidents happening, but if we were to clean up our roadsides of overhanging trees it would go a long way – especially in the winter months when we see these kind of weather events.”
Mr Stent reminded residents to stay vigilant when storms hit and to only drive if necessary.
“Drive to the conditions,” he said.
“If it is wet or windy, slow down, watch for hazards and stay alert at all times.
“If you have trees around your home that you think might pose a threat with high winds, make sure to get them trimmed to avoid any property damage.
“We just want to see everyone safe in the community.”
Wattle Range Council director engineering services Peter Halton said trees along the Riddoch Highway are protected under the state’s native vegetation legislation and cannot be removed without meeting rigorous and costly requirements.
He said council has “regularly” received requests from the fire service in relation to trees from roadsides, but any move to cut down protected species needed to be balanced with what the legislation permitted.
“Most of the trees that came down along the highway are gumtrees and are protected under the act,” he said.
“When we get notified of a tree being a potential hazard, we will do an inspection and make a determination, review the safety and the environmental value.
“It is extensive and time consuming and extremely frustrating when you have a major storm.”
