Who gives a fig?

Who gives a fig?

Turns out quite a few people give a fig, particularly when a beloved fig tree gets hacked into by the Wellington City Council.

The devastation of the tree outside Clyde Quay School on Elizabeth Street has been the talk of the nearby community.

The large tree is well known for its fruit, and it’s a common site in autumn to see locals balancing ladders against the tree, to get hold of the figs from the upper branches.

But just as fig season was approaching, contractors turned up and removed most of the branches.

Outraged locals questioned the timing of the hatchet job. Comments on social media called it ‘savage’, ‘vandalism’ and ‘bloody terrible’, although others pointed out it was obstructing the path and overdue for a cut back.

The council told The Local the pruning was carried out to ensure the tree met the required clearances for public safety and infrastructure.

“We appreciate that this tree was valued by the community, especially as it was fruiting. However, as it is located within legal road reserve rather than a park or garden, we are required to carry out clearance work as scheduled, regardless of the season. In this case, the tree had begun obstructing the footpath, creating a safety issue for pedestrians.

“This species will tolerate this type of pruning, and late summer is a good time for it.”

Although the tree was certainly in need of a trim, the timing is callous. 

It reinforces the notion that the council is completely out of touch with the local community, particularly after the debacle over replacing trees further up Elizabeth Street.

Given the choice, I’m sure most people would prefer to endure the slight obstruction to the footpath for the trade off of letting the fig season run its course.

Let’s hope the tree recovers, given most gardening advice is to wait until winter to do such extreme trimming.