Lawrence Tuapeka Community Board chairman Geoff Davidson said despite the community's fondness for the trees, their time had come.
''It's a shame; they're pretty iconic,'' he said.
''I'm 67. I've been here all my life and they've been here since then.
''[However] they had to go - one or two of them were falling over. We were starting to think of the danger of them.''
The trees, now rotting, were an identifying feature of the town, planted by ''town council and local identities'' about 80 to 100 years ago. After discussions that began in 2008, a third of the trees were taken out.
The poplars were so well liked, despite being known to be ageing and diseased, they were spared in 2011 as the town celebrated its 150th anniversary.
But trees had toppled over in the intervening years and the community had changed its mind about the trees' felling, Mr Davidson told the Otago Daily Times in November last year.
''They were tested by an arborist and they were found to be unsafe,'' he said.
''The best bet was to get rid of them.''
Eighty white spire birch trees will be planted in their place, to complement others planted in town about three years ago.
The Clutha District Council's district asset manager Jules Witt said the $60,000 project, including stump removal and replanting, was a joint project with the New Zealand Transport Agency.
The felling was expected to finish this month, but replanting would be delayed until next year.
''We actually want the soil to settle for a wee bit before we plant new trees, otherwise they might end up on a funny lean, or on a funny angle,'' he said.
''Next winter is when we're looking at planting, because it is a little bit late in the season for planting now.''
Queenstown man Russell Liggett was killed when a poplar tree on Lower Shotover Rd fell on his ute on September 14, 2009. At the inquest into the death the following year, Coroner David Crerar
questioned why the tree felling was delayed if the trees posed a danger to life.
The removal of Lawrence's poplars' began on Whitehaven St on Monday. All 31 poplars are to be removed, as well as several other trees in the area, and to be replaced.
