Caloundra City Council is to remove a mature White Cedar tree from Maleny's Cooke Park, after a child was hospitalised last week having ingested fruit from its branches.    The child was swiftly admitted to the township's nearby hospital and kept in overnight as a precautionary measure, after eating just one berry which had fallen to the ground.

According to intelligence gleaned from reputable websites, Division One Councillor Dick Newman believes that White Cedars are poisonous to humans and dogs.    He said that in an ideal world no tree should be uprooted, but in this case the tree was inappropriate for its location and must go.

"Any plan to remove a mature tree from within a community like Maleny will meet with resistance from some," said Cr Newman.   "Butthis tree is on the site of a playground and is just too much of a risk.   Ultimately the community must remember that Council plants far more trees than it removes."

Arguments vocalised to Council against the removal of the White Cedar stated that most trees in Australia bear poisonous fruit anyway; and that growing them wasn't a crime.   "Agreed, but it is not appropriate to grow poisonous species in a place that is designed to attract small children," countered Cr Newman.   "We have plenty of snakes, spiders and vegetation at Mary Cairncross which is an environmental reserve where it is appropriate for them to thrive."   Cr Newman said that indeed Council has no legal responsibility to remove the White Cedar, but that it was the right thing to do in the interest of human safety.

He said that no timetable had been offered as yet by CCC for the removal of the tree and that Council was receptive to offers from the community regarding future uses for its timber.    In fact, he said he had already been approached to donate the trunk to the community for processing and was happy to do that.

The Councillor stressed that anybody who believed the removal was wrong and that the tree would cause no serious harm should put their case in writing to CCC's Chief Executive Officer.   "Inclusion of any medical of botanical qualification would be helpful," said the Councillor.    Cr Newman urged parents not to be alarmed by the recent events at the park.  He recommended local nurseries as excellent source for information on which plants produce edible fruit and which don't.   He also cautioned owners of White Cedars to take the necessary precautions to prevent a similar episode on their properties.

CCC said that when the White Cedar was removed from the park, it would likely be replaced by a deciduous Fig Tree.