DBCA district manager Justin Black with one of many fallen trees at Helms Arboretum. photo: Geoff Vivian.
While Helms Arboretum has been closed to the public since damaging bushfires late last year, DBCA district manager Justin Black said they hoped to re-open the picnic area to the public by Christmas.
“The fire ended up killing quite a few of the trees within Helms and so it’s been closed as we plan around removing those hazards,” he said.
“The real risk is that a tree or a tree limb would fall on someone and cause significant harm, and depending on the situation that could easily lead to hospitalization or death.”
Mr Black said his staff planned to progressively re-open the Arboreum as they completed the remedial works.
“There’s a lot of work to do across the across the Arboretum, but we’re really focused on reopening the picnic area and making that accessible for the public again,” he said.
“It’s filled with large pine trees, but many of them have died.
“So we’ll be looking to remove the large pine trees and then replanting with similar species to maintain the values, the same values that are already there and the experience for the public.”
Mr Black said he hoped community groups and charities could find a use for the timber.
“We don’t want to see that timber being wasted, and so for the large pine logs, there’s potential to saw that up into some sort of product,” he said.
“I’ll be talking to community groups about that.
“And then for any of the eucalyptus trees that have died, which we’re looking to remove to make the area safe, we’ll looking to provide that to community groups for firewood.”
Meanwhile, much of the Aboretum will remain closed for the forseeable future.
“There’s quite a high risk of tree fall and limb fall and until we make the area safe we really encourage people to stay out because we don’t want anyone significantly hurt,” he said.
“It’s such a big job with the damage across the Arboretum that we will be looking to progressively open, starting with the picnic area and then over time making more areas safe for visitors.”
DBCA staff say Helms Aboretum was named after forester Andy Helms who managed Esperance Pine Forests Ltd.
It consists of more than 120 plots displaying many tree species established from 1973-78 to determine which trees would flourish on the Esperance sandplain.
“The plots demonstrate the suitability of each species for use in salt-affected areas, for shade, windbreaks, timber or as an ornamental,” DBCA literature says.
“A small pine plantation adjoining the arboretum is commercially harvested.”
