The mystery disease ailing plane trees in the Octagon appears
to have cropped up in another part of the city.
One plane tree in Frederick St, outside the Dunedin Hospital
entrance, appeared to have the same symptoms, Otago and
Southland district health boards' regional compliance team
leader Ralph Francis, said.
The matter is to be brought to the hospital advisory
committee's attention today.
Mr Francis said contractors notified him late last year about
the problem.
It did not seem to have spread to other trees in Frederick
St, and was not visible except to a trained eye.
Dunedin City Council-owned company Delta advised the board to
keep a watching brief on the plane tree over winter, in the
hope frosts might kill off any infection.
The Dunedin City Council is awaiting the results of samples
taken from the Octagon plane trees late last month.
They are expected from the Ministry of Agriculture and
Forestry this month.
Last month, Dunedin tree consultant Frank Buddingh said he
feared the trees were affected by an exotic vascular disease,
known as Ceratocystis fimbriata, not seen before in
New Zealand.
Four of the Octagon's 16 plane trees did not come into leaf
this summer, and others show signs of infection.
- Eileen Goodwin
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