In May 2024 Northern Beaches Council informed residents of Ruskin Rowe, in Avalon NSW, of its intention to remove four Flooded gums which form part of the street’s historic avenue of trees. A large branch had fallen from one of the trees earlier in the year, causing damage to a resident’s car that had been parked on public land in the quiet cul-de-sac.

This sparked a chain of events that ultimately lead to the removal of two of the four trees, and a month-long blockade of the remaining two by local residents and community groups. At the very core of the dispute is the notion of the risk versus the benefits of a community’s unique tree canopy.

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