Heritage Assessment of Heritage Assessment of Trees and LandscapesTrees and Landscapes

What is Heritage?

Something you inherit from ancestors– E.g. A family bible, an old clock, furniture,

family physical characteristics, land

Items or places of high significance that are seen as a ‘gift’ for future generations– E.g. Natural landscapes, aboriginal artefacts in

caves, old towns and buildings in original condition

A view of what heritage is

NSW’s heritage is diverse and includes buildings, objects, monuments, Aboriginal places, gardens, bridges, landscapes, archaeological sites, shipwrecks, relics, bridges, streets, industrial structures and conservation precincts.

NSW Heritage Council Definition

Heritage consists of those places and objects that we as a community have inherited from the past and want to hand on to future generations.

Types

Cultural heritage– Results from human processes and activities such as

building, farming, creating artworks etc– More likely involvement for arborists

Natural heritage– Places of significant natural importance that are

largely unaffected by human process– Gloucester Tops, Cradle Mountain, Blue Mountains,

Fraser Island

Determining significance

Heritage consultants are trained in the field of heritage assessment, often with specialisations

The consultants need to have a broad view of the political and cultural context of the item and remain independent

Some important terms

Significance (cultural) Fabric Conservation Place Maintenance Preservation Restoration reconstruction

Adaptation Compatible use Curtilage Provenance Criteria and Criteron

Significance

Cultural significance Aesthetic, historic, scientific or social

value for past, present or future generations Natural significance emphasis aesthetic

and scientific aspects Based on scale, importance and uniqueness Scale from regional to global Importance to that community

Types of cultural significance

Architectural – Opera House Associational Significance – “Banjo

Paterson wrote Waltzing Matilda here”

Fabric

The stuff the item is made from Trees have an organic fabric that can be

preserved through propagation from the original

Is the fabric of the item of significance consistent with the era of the item’s construction and historic significance?

Conservation

All the processes of looking after a place so as to retain its cultural significance

Includes maintenance and may according to circumstances include preservation, restoration, reconstruction, and adaptation

Commonly a combination of all

Curtilage

Heritage buildings are usually main items Gardens and surrounds are deemed the

curtilage Includes fences and gates, trees, roads, old

building footprints etc Can be confusing because of previous sub-

divisions

Precincts

Usually consist of grouped heritage items that when grouped formed a significant heritage item.

Wallsend Civic precinct Surviving 19th Century Townscape Includes civic buildings and open space Sections of Raymond Terrace CBD

Raymond Terrace 1857

Maintenance

The continuous protective care of the fabric, contents and setting of a place

Window cleaning Washing and vacuuming Pruning trees and shrubs?

Preservation

Maintaining the fabric of a place in its existing state and retarding deterioration

Keeping old paintings and documents ‘preserved’ in climate controlled cases

Involves the concept of minimum intervention

Removing a strangler fig from an old tree?

Restoration

Restoring the EXISTING fabric of a place to a known earlier state by removing accretions or reassembling existing components without the introduction of new material

Using existing seed or plant material to re-vegetate areas degraded by time and neglect.

Reconstruction

Returning a place as nearly as possible to a known earlier state by the introduction of new materials into the fabric

Buying in new trees of the same species but not the original provenance

Provenance

The provenance of an artifact, commodity, or other object is the place and time of its origin.

Relates to the significance of the item

This tree was planted by ‘T.J. Smith on 14 November 1977’

Parramatta Park in 1888

2005

Lady Fitzroy Memorial

Lady Fitzroy (governors wife and her aide were killed when their carraige overturned and the tree)

uses

Economic problems for many heritage properties

Cost of repair/restoration vs economic input into the property

Solution = Grants, donations Problem = grant applications and

evaluation times and costs

Adaptation and compatible use

Modifying a place to suit proposed compatible uses

Heritage sites may be used for commercial purposes and need adaptations to meet laws and regulations

Fire laws in old buildings require changes to electrical wiring . Old wiring is retained but disconnected, replacement wiring is discretely installed

What does this mean to an arborist?

Assessing heritage trees

Pinus pinea at Tomago House

St Pats Catholic Church at Broke – 100 years old

Pinus hallapensis at Broke

Is this a remnant of the Lone Pine?

Assess the structural integrity of the tree

Resistograph testing indicates internal structure and gives a guide to approximate age of tree

Stone Pine –Pinus pinea

Car parkingHazardous dead branches

St Pats

Historic church Trees are significant to the curtilage Intention is to maintain the fabric whilst

trees are relatively safe by pruning.

151 Maitland Rd, Islington

Historic avenue of Figs in Islington Park

Path to informal brothel

Air knife and shovels used to determine the extent of root activity and viability of development

Trench excavated and depth and extent of roots determined.

Results determined the viability of a development

Ian McKenzie

Assessing diameter and extent of root spread

Sandgate Cemetery

Pinus radiata Last pine left from

early plantings Significance linked to

original plantings from 1880’s

Earthquake caused collapse of original drains

Salinity due to rising water table

Podocarpus avenue

Salinity has caused eventual death

New plantings of Magnolia grandiflora

Singleton – 1 John St

Close proximity to New England Highway

Significant in size for species and linked to a historic precinct around old buildings along the river

Chainsaw damage

Hunter Water installed a sewer main

Tree was removed after Council accepted DA for construction of Auto Spare parts business to be built on site

Ficus at John St Singleton

Historic Precinct and established heritage zone

No link established by any heritage consultant (not even thought of by Council)

Current political climate with flying foxes affected emotions of Councilors who approved DA

Large old tree cut down for car parking

Assessing Heritage1. Summarise what is

known about item2. Describe the

previous and current use and historic associations

3. Assess significance using NSW heritage assessment criteria

4. Can a sound analysis be made of the item’s heritage significance

5. Determine the level of significance

6. Prepare a succinct statement of heritage significance

7. Get feedback

8. Write up all information

assessment criteria for an item of heritage

A. An item is important in NSW history (cultural or natural)

B. A strong association with the life or works of a person or group

C. Its important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in NSW

D. Special association with a community or cultural group

E. Item has a potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of NSW cultural or natural history

F. Possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of NSW history

G. Is an important example demonstrating principal characteristics of cultural and natural places and environments

Grading Exceptional

– Rare or outstanding example – Wollemi Pine High

– High degree of exceptional fabric and demonstrates a key element of significance

Moderate– Contribute to the overall significance but not

of high value Little

– Alterations detract from significance Intrusive

– Damaging to the heritage of another item

More Information – some sources

Heritage Council of NSW Natural Heritage Trust – Telstra funds

($1.4 Bn) National Trust Historic Houses Trust Council LEP’s Council guidelines