Fillable Guidelines for Nominating a Notable Tree for Evaluation (Auckland Council New Zealand)

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Guidelines for Nominating a Notable Tree for Evaluation (Auckland Council New Zealand)

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Guidelines for

Nominating a

Notable Tree for

Evaluation

These guidelines outline the requirements for nominating

a notable tree for evaluation by Auckland Council for

inclusion on the region’s Notable Tree Schedule. This

document will assist you in completing and submitting

the nomination form.

Nominating a tree

Any person or organisation may nominate a tree or group

of trees for evaluation by completing and submitting the

nomination form.

Before you submit a nomination, please read these

guidelines to check whether nomination is appropriate,

and to ensure that you complete the form correctly.

You should only nominate a tree or group of trees if you

consider it has signicant value and would be a worthy

addition to Auckland’s Notable Tree Schedule.

Purpose of evaluation

The purpose of this evaluation is to identify notable trees

for inclusion in Auckland’s Notable Tree Schedule, or for

other appropriate management to protect the tree such

as a legal covenant.

Nomination of a tree or group of trees does not

automatically guarantee that it will be evaluated or

considered for scheduling. Priority will be given to

nominations for trees on the nominator’s property or on

public land (open space, reserves or streets) and to those

that are not already scheduled as part of a Signicant

Ecological Area. Priority will also be given to nominations

that clearly identify the values of the tree and are

supported by relevant background information. Therefore

you are encouraged to make a persuasive case for the

signicance of the tree.

What is a Notable Tree?

Practically all trees play important economic,

environmental and social roles in any district of New

Zealand. However, some trees are often thought of as

being of greater value than others. That is, there are

some specimen trees, or groups of trees, that stand out

as being notable, signicant or distinguished. It is those

trees that, for various reasons, are selected by territorial

local authorities, throughout New Zealand, for inclusion

on a notable tree schedule in a district plan. Through this

mechanism they gain greater legal protection.

Notable trees are generally those that a community or

nation regard as being of special importance because they

commemorate important events in a nation’s history, are

exceptional or unique examples of a species, are critical

to the survival of other species or are of such age, stature,

character and visibility that they are regarded as the best

in the district.

What is the Notable Tree Schedule?

Auckland’s Notable Tree Schedule is a list of signicant

trees or groups of trees in the Auckland region. Inclusion

of a tree or group of trees in the Schedule means that:

• It has been ofcially recognised by the Auckland

Council as being a Notable Tree

• It is protected by provisions in district or unitary

plans to ensure it is not damaged or destroyed

• It may be eligible for grants and other incentives.

Nomination

Guidelines

Criteria for scheduling Notable Trees

Auckland Council has proposed criteria for evaluating

the importance of trees and the level of signicance

required to be considered for inclusion in the Notable Tree

Schedule. There are three types of criteria: Special factors

(stand alone), Negative factors and Tree Specic factors.

The special factor criteria are stand alone which means

that if a tree or group of trees meets any one criterion

then it is deemed notable. The tree-specic criteria require

a cumulative assessment. That means, for a tree or group

of trees to be notable, it must have a cumulative score of

20 or more out of 40 using the scoring systems described

in Appendix 1.

Both the special factor and tree-specic criteria are used

in combination to determine whether a tree or group of

trees is notable. A tree will be notable if it meets only one

of the special factors or the score threshold for

tree-specic criteria.

In addition, the assessment against the Special factor

and tree-specic criteria is then balanced by taking into

account the potential negative effects of the tree. In

situations where negative effects occur then these must

be offset against the benets of protecting a notable

tree. This methodology does not provide a denitive way

to make this decision but it relies on the expertise of

trained arborists assessing the risk of the negative effects

occurring and the overall signicance of the tree. The

critical part of this assessment is determining whether

the hazard or negative effects are unmanageable. Most

hazards and all nuisance effects can be managed but in

instances where they are unmanageable a tree will not

be scheduled as notable. Pest plants listed in the Regional

Pest Management Strategy or Plan will not be scheduled.

Special Factors (stand alone)

A. Heritage

- Is associated with or commemorates an historic event

(including Maori history or legend)

- Has strong public associations or has an historic

association with a well known historic or notable gure

- Is strongly associated with a local historic feature and

now forms a signicant part of that feature

B. Scientic

- Is the only example of the species in Auckland or the

largest known specimen of the species in Auckland

(including height and lateral spread) (only applies to

individual trees)

- Is a signicant example of a species rare in Auckland or a

native species that is nationally or regionally threatened

(as assessed by the Department of Conservation (DOC)

or on the regional threatened species list)

- Has outstanding value because of its scientic

signicance

C. Ecosystem service

- Provides critical habitat for a threatened native species

population e.g., bats, chevron skinks, kiwi, yellow

mistletoe etc

D. Cultural

- Demonstrates a custom, way of life or process that was

common but is now rare, is in danger of being lost or

has been lost

- Has an important role in dening the communal identity

and distinctiveness of the community through having

special symbolic, spiritual, commemorative, traditional

or other cultural value or represents important aspects

of collective memory, identity or remembrance, the

meanings of which should not be forgotten

- Is a landmark, or marker that the community identies

with

E. Intrinsic

- Is intrinsically notable because of a combination of

factors including the size, age, vigour and vitality,

stature and form or visual contribution of the tree or

group of trees

Negative Effects

F. Negative effects

- Are there any matters that may weigh against the tree’s

long term protection at this location?

- Does the tree present negative impacts upon human

health and / or property?

- Are these negative effects manageable through

arboricultural or property management means?

- Is the tree species listed in the Regional Pest Management

Strategy as a Total Control or Containment Plant or

listed under the Biosecurity Act 1993 as an Unwanted

Organism?

Tree-specic factors (see below for scoring)

G. Age and health

- Is notable because of its age (e.g., the oldest of its

species in Auckland) and there is something about the

vigour and vitality of the tree or group of trees which

makes it notable given other factors (such as its age)

H. Character and form

- Is an exceptional example of the species in character

and/or form (i.e., text book shape or has a particular

relationship with its environment) or attributes that

makes it unique

I. Size

- It is an exceptional size for the species in this location

(including height, girth or lateral spread)

J. Visual contribution

- It makes a signicant contribution to the visual character

of an area or to the vista from elsewhere in Auckland

Thresholds

When applying tree-specic factors to groups of trees an

average assessment for all trees in the group should be

used. At least one individual in a group must be scheduled

independently as notable and all trees in the group must

be physically close to each other or form a collective

or functional unit through meeting at least one of the

following criteria: 1. Canopies touch; 2. Canopies overlap;

3. Canopies are not further than 5 metres apart.

To be considered eligible for inclusion in Auckland’s

Notable Tree Schedule, a tree or group of trees must meet

at least one of the special factor criteria or achieve a score

of 20 or more for tree-specic criteria.

Other tree specic factors are also taken into account

in the decision to recommend a tree for scheduling.

Sometimes scheduling is not the most appropriate way

of protecting an important tree. For example, it may be

part of a signicant indigenous plant community and it

would be more appropriate to schedule as a Signicant

Ecological Area (SEA) or it may already be within one of

this SEAs and therefore a lower priority for evaluation.

The nal decision over whether to schedule a notable tree

or group of trees is made by the Council after assessing

the information obtained from this process.

What trees can be nominated?

Any tree or groups of trees may be nominated including

those in towns, streetscapes and settlements, gardens,

trees and plantings or they may be naturally occurring

trees in parks, reserves or covenants.

Frivolous or vexatious nominations will not be accepted

including nominations for:

• Any tree or groups of trees that has been planted and

is less than 20 years old, other than in exceptional

circumstances

• Moveable or portable trees such as those in planter

boxes.

• Any tree that cannot be accurately located or identied.

Priority will be given to trees nominated for inclusion in

Auckland’s schedule of Notable Trees that occur on the

property of the nominee or in a public reserve. Detailed

nominations supported with good information will

have an increased chance of being processed quickly for

acceptance into the schedule and will be peer reviewed.

Nominations providing limited information, or those

for trees on another person’s private property will be

processed as and when resources are made available.

Completing the nomination form

(see Appendix 1)

Before completing the form

Before you complete the nomination form

(see Appendix 1) you should check your existing Notable

Tree Schedule to ensure that the tree or group of trees is

not already scheduled.

Completing the form

You are encouraged to complete and submit the

nomination form in electronic format. You can download

an electronic copy of the form from the Auckland Council

website (http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz)

Section 1 (Contact details)

We need to be able to acknowledge receipt of your

nomination, verify information if needed, and keep you

informed. We cannot accept anonymous nominations.

Section 2 (Address)

We need to know where the tree is. If it doesn’t have a

street address, you can provide the legal description or

grid reference (using NZ Transverse Mercator coordinates).

You can access these through the council’s GIS viewer:

http://maps.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/

aucklandcouncilviewer/

Legal description: use the ‘identify’ button on the

toolbars on the right of the screen Grid reference: go to

Tools/capture map coordinates. Print out and attach an

aerial photo of the site with the tree clearly circled. If

there are multiple trees please show where each tree is

located.

Section 3 (Owner/occupier)

Complete this section if you have access to this

information.

Section 4 (Description)

You should include a description of the tree and its

location. For example provide a description of the

estimated height, age, species and context for the tree.

Section 5 (Threats)

It is useful to identify known threats to the tree, because

this will assist in prioritising nominations. For example,

pressure from development, risk of being removed to

create views etc.

Sections 6 - 8 (Tree specic and special factors and

negative effects)

You should evaluate the tree or group of trees against

each of the criteria. This will be the primary means by

which we will evaluate a tree.

Section 9 (Conclusions)

Summarise your conclusions about the tree or group of

trees here.

Further assistance

If you need assistance with the form, please contact

the Council’s Heritage team by email at

heritage@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Please complete the form in as much detail as possible.

Can I provide information in condence?

Generally not. Evaluation of Auckland’s heritage is a

public process. All members of the public, including the

owner of a tree, are entitled to access all information held

by the Council on a property. Councils are only required

to restrict access to sensitive information about places

of signicance to tangata whenua as this is a statutory

requirement under the Resource Management Act 1991.

All other information relating to a property is public

information, and is therefore available to members of the

public upon request. If you have concerns about providing

information that is, or may be sensitive or subject to

Council’s Heritage Unit before providing the information.

What about my personal details?

The Council has a responsibility to comply with the

Privacy Act 1993 and the Local Government Ofcial

Information and Meetings Act 1987. All information

provided to, and held by Council as public records, is public

information and is subject to disclosure upon request

unless there are reasons why it should not be disclosed. If

you have concerns, you should refer to the relevant Acts,

and seek independent advice.

What if I don’t have the time or knowledge to

provide all the information you require?

The more supporting evidence you can provide the better.

Nominations that lack sufcient information may be

assigned a low priority for evaluation. You could approach

your Local Board, botanical society or other community

group to assist with the nomination or to make it on your

behalf.

Why can’t the Council evaluate all nominated

trees?

The process of evaluating trees requires specialised

personnel and resources. As well as public nominations,

the council identies potentially signicant trees

through its own work. All nominations receive an initial

appraisal. Those that are unlikely to meet the signicance

thresholds or lack sufcient information will be assigned

a low priority or may not proceed. In some cases

nominated trees have been previously evaluated, so unless

new information becomes available they will not be re-

evaluated.

What is the best format for sending information

to the Council?

Electronic les are preferred. Original photographs or

documents should be scanned or copied. If you have large

les (over 10MB) send them in parts or convert them to

smaller le sizes (e.g. by converting them to PDF les) or

copy them onto a CD.

Can I protect my tree even if my tree is not

notable?

If you have a tree and you think it is special but is unlikely

to be scheduled as notable then there are alternatives to

enable it protection such as a private legal covenant.

Frequently Asked

Questions

This nomination form is to be used for assessing trees or groups of trees. When applying tree-specic factors to

groups of trees an average assessment for all trees in the group should be used. At least one individual in a group

must be scheduled independently as notable and all trees in the group must be physically close to each other or form

a collective or functional unit through meeting at least one of the following criteria: 1. Canopies touch; 2. Canopies

overlap; 3. Canopies are not further than 5 metres apart.

Section 1: Your Contact Details

Section 2: Address of the tree

Section 3: Owner/occupier

Section 4: Description

Section 5: Threats to the tree

Notable Tree

Nomination Form

Age and health

Is notable because of its age (e.g., the

oldest of its species in Auckland) and there

is something about the vigour and vitality

of the tree or group of trees which makes it

notable given other factors (such as its age)

Character and form

Is an exceptional example of the species

in character and/or form (i.e., text book

shape or has a particular relationship with

its environment) or attributes that makes it

unique

Size

It is an exceptional size for the species in this

location (including height, girth or lateral

spread)

Visual contribution

It makes a signicant contribution to the

visual character of an area or to the vista

from elsewhere in Auckland

Section 6: Tree-specic factors (see following page for scoring)

A tree can be scheduled as Notable if it achieves a score of 20 or more

Score

(see explanatory notes)

Comments

Section 7: Negative effects

Are there any matters that weigh against the tree’s long term

protection at this location?

Hazard and negative effects

Does the tree present negative impacts upon

human health and / or property?

Are these negative effects manageable

through arboricultural or property

management means?

Is the tree species listed in the Regional Pest

Management Strategy as a Total Control

or Containment Plant or listed under the

Biosecurity Act 1993 as an Unwanted

Organism?

YES NO

These scoring systems are to be used when evaluating a tree against the tree-specic factors in Section 6 (see page 10).

Age and health

Character or form

Size

Visual contribution

This scoring system should be used when assessing the

age and health of a tree. It allows for trees that are old

and healthy to score much more highly than trees that

are either unhealthy or young. The degree of vigour and

vitality for any tree is assessed given the age of the tree.

Therefore, a tree that is over 100 years old and showing

high vigour and vitality, for a tree that age, will score a

10.

This scoring system should be used when assessing the

character or form of a tree. It allows for trees that are

exceptional examples at two spatial scales (from local to

Auckland-wide) to score more highly than trees that are

regarded as normal.

This scoring system should be used when assessing the

size of a tree (including height, girth and lateral spread).

It allows for trees that are larger than would be expected

(on average) for a particular location to be scored more

highly than trees that are at, or close to (or below), their

average height.

This scoring system should be used when assessing the

visual contribution of a tree. It allows for trees that are

seen by more people on a daily basis to score more

highly than trees that are rarely seen.

Vigour

and

vitality

High 3 5 6 8 10

2 4 6 8 8

2 4 6 6 7

2 4 4 5 5

Low 2 2 2 3 3

Age in

Years

<40 41-

61-

81-

100

>100

Not exceptional 0

Exceptional example locally 5

Exceptional example in Auckland 10

Average size for the species in this

location

Greater than average size (up to

25% larger)

Substantially greater than average

size (>25% larger)

In backyard or gully 2 e.g. fewer than

100 people see the

tree daily

Local park/community/

beside minor road or

feeder road/catchment

5 e.g. between 100

and 5000 people

see the tree daily

Main Road/motorway or

higly visible landform

10 e.g. more than

5000 people see

the tree daily

Scoring of tree specic factors

Section 8: Special factors (stand alone)

For a tree to be scheduled or Notable it needs to

meet only one of these special factors

Heritage

Is associated with or commemorates an historic event

(including Maori history or legend)

Has strong public associations or has an historic association

with a well known historic or notable gure

Is strongly associated with a local historic feature and now

forms a signicant part of that feature

Scientic

Is the only example of the species in Auckland or the largest

known specimen of the species in Auckland (including height

and lateral spread) (only applies to individual trees)

Is a signicant example of a species rare in Auckland or a

native species that is nationally or regionally threatened (as

assessed by DOC or on the regional threatened species list)

Has outstanding value because of its scientic signicance

Ecosystem service

Provides critical habitat for a threatened native species

population e.g., bats, chevron skinks, kiwi, yellow mistletoe etc

Cultural

Demonstrates a custom, way of life or process that was

common but is now rare, is in danger of being lost or has been

lost

Has an important role in dening the communal identity

and distinctiveness of the community through having special

symbolic, spiritual, commemorative, traditional or other

cultural value or represents important aspects of collective

memory, identity or remembrance, the meanings of which

should not be forgotten

Is a landmark, or marker that the community identies with

Intrinsic

Is intrinsically notable because of a combination of factors

including the size, age, vigour and vitality, stature and form or

visual contribution of the tree or group of trees

YES NO Comments

Section 9: Conclusions

Include your nal assessment of whether or not the tree is notable and any additional comments. Note that under the

Tree-Specic factors, a score of 20 or more is needed before it can be scheduled or Notable.

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