Fallen branches and trees brought down by storms over the weekend have angered some Canberra residents, who say they have been pushing for ACT government approval to remove the trees.
Weetangera resident Quentin Grafton said two large branches fell from a 15-metre tall tree in his yard on Saturday, just a day after the ACT Civil & Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) upheld a government decision not to remove the tree.
"And so Saturday night, a big storm comes through Weetangera and a few other suburbs ... and boom, two branches come down," Professor Grafton said.
"I'd say eight to 10 metres in length. If you'd been underneath it, you would have been seriously injured, if not dead."
Certain trees on leased territory land are classed as regulated, and require approval from the ACT government for removal.
Professor Grafton applied for removal of the tree in February, after an earlier storm caused a branch to crash through his fence. His request was denied, though an ACT government spokesperson said "major pruning and canopy reduction was approved".
Professor Grafton said he wasn't satisfied that pruning had reduced the threat posed by the tree. His subsequent appeals through the Tree Advisory Panel and ACAT were unsuccessful.
"Following the weekend's storms, [Transport Canberra City Services] has now received a new application in relation to this tree. This application will be assessed again against the criteria for a regulated tree," the government spokesperson said.
"It's dropping branches, is continuing to drop branches and and we are scared [and] worried," Professor Grafton said.
Kambah resident Jim Cannon said he had put in requests to remove a tree on his property before it uprooted on Saturday, though the ACT government spokesperson said TCCS "does not have a record of receiving an application to remove or prune any tree at this residence".
Mr Cannon said he had made at least two complaints about the risk posed by the tree to the government, but had only received approval for tree trimming works.
The tree uprooted on Saturday, toppling onto a neighbour's flat.
"If the wind gust that knocked it over yesterday ... had been slightly different ... this tree would have plummeted onto our decking and through our kitchen window," Mr Cannon said.
An ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) spokesperson said there had been a total of 327 requests for assistance since Saturday afternoon, including 17 new ones on Monday. Six were still outstanding, with crews continuing work on them.
The Bureau of Meteorology was forecasting a clear day on Tuesday, with a slight chance of rain returning by Wednesday.
Thursday could see the chance of a shower or thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening.
