This old gumtree close to my 'bibliothèque' is shedding its limps as it nears the end of its life but, under the Shire Council's Tree Preservation Code, I need to wait for it to be dead before I can cut it down.
And yet, when I rang to point out the danger this tree posed to life and limb (my limb!), they told me, "This has got nothing to do with us!"
Instead, because my zoning is both rural (RU1) and residential (E2), I would have to talk to the South East Local Land Services who put me through to a nice lady in Yass whose first question was, "Is the tree dead?", to which I replied, "It's a bit like me: kind of half-dead."
After her laughter had done what this tree hasn't yet, she said it was up to me to decide if it presented an imminent threat to human life or property but to take plenty of photographs before I cut it down, to stop me from ending up in Long Bay Jail. And she emailed me this instructive brochure:
Well, you've seen the photograph! Does it look (half-)dead enough?
