The Severn St tree was brought down on December 6 for safety reasons after part of it snapped in high winds, forcing the closure of both lanes of State Highway 1 for about 10 minutes to allow a crew from Downer to complete the work.
Waitaki District Council parks officer Lindsay Hyde said the tree would ‘‘definitely’’ be replaced, probably between late autumn and early spring, after the family of the man the original tree was dedicated to, Trooper A.C. Burt, who died at Gallipoli in 1915, was contacted.
‘‘There’s an intention to replace it with a similar tree and obviously put the plaque back in as well.
‘‘It’s nice to bring the family in and create that connection with the tree as well, and just continue some of those great stories that go with the Memorial Oaks network. Some of those stories can be lost and if we’re able to bring the family in, I personally think it’s a great thing.’’
After the oak was felled, council staff inspected all of the oaks planted along Severn St.
While some issues were identified, the work required was not considered urgent.
Mr Hyde said it would involve ‘‘end weight’’ being removed.
‘‘As trees get older they can get brittle ... Some of it will be reduction work and bringing back some of those problematic branches in a wee bit. It will keep the shape of the tree to prolong its life.’’
The Memorial Oaks scheme is the only example of its kind in New Zealand.
More than 400 oaks were planted across North Otago in 1919 as a memorial to the region’s fallen soldiers, each accompanied by a white cross.
