Protected Trees [category]

Google Maps tips & tricks
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Kia ora koutou,

Question on categories for protected trees. I just discovered that some next to our house are protected, and that information is hidden away on a Council District Plan that you have to be on desktop to see and was thinking that it might be one for the Moderators to consider.

I realise that the primary thrust of Maps is feedback on businesses that then engages the businesses to connect and ideally connect with Ads and MyBusiness, but having protected trees available on Maps would also be kind of cool.

It would make that info immediately available to help people know not to mess with them and could lead to people taking more ownership over how public spaces are listed in their communities on Maps.

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@GEORGECANDERSON Being a fellow Kiwi I agree with you. Shouldn’t be too much effort. Most of the native forest is protected so that’s easily done. Just need the councils to enter the information for protected trees in their area.

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Thanks for the note! Primarily mean there is no current category for an individual tree. But yeah imagine if local government would engage with a piece of work like that would be good to see.

Level 10 yikes. Lots of work.

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Hi @GEORGECANDERSON ,

Welcome to Connect.

That’s a really cool idea and I would like to recommend you to pitch it on Idea Exchange where it can be more exposed.

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Hello Fellow kiwi

It really is a good idea though I do have to raise one concern.

" It would make that info immediately available to help people know not to mess with them and could lead to people taking more ownership over how public spaces are listed in their communities on Maps. "

Unfortunately, such information could also be used to target such trees similar to those people whom as you may know poisoned a number of protected Pohutukawa trees so they could get better views around their houses and raise the price of their properties.

Regards

GH

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I guess if someone is going to poison a tree though how would you see that knowledge affecting their decision? Or are you meaning that if a tree is not listed for some reason they may use the confusion to plead ignorance?

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Hello @GEORGECANDERSON

The people whom poisoned the trees know they were protected though did it anyway to get rid of them / have them die so they had to be removed. This in turn increased the view around their properties and increase the value of their properties.

Though in thinking about this more people can get the information anyway if they ask for it so having it on Google maps wouldn’t matter. It also wouldn’t affect their decision to do harm to the trees anyway if they wanted to get rid of them.

Ok, so now that that’s out the way there is one other issue I’ve just researched.

If such trees do become protected / are listed on Google maps as protected they could also become a tourist magnet.

As you may know due to TripAdvisor, Google Maps and other tour sites, a number of places which were not really tour sites now see 5 times + the amount of tourist than ever before and increasing.

This in part lead to why a number of forest are now restricted or closed due to Kauri Dieback disease.

The concern once a tree or something is placed on Google maps as protected or even placed on the map is more people may want to see it , photograph it, get up close to it etc.

I.E if I told you people there are a few 500 + year old Kauri’s on a hill in a area just up past Thames, a number of them would want to go and see them right.

" immediately available to help people know not to mess with them and could lead to people taking more ownership over how public spaces " etc

Unfortunately, their are a good deal of people in the world whom don’t give a stuff about doing the right think and whom think they are entitled to do whatever they like. I.E as followed

  • are still travelling into the closed off areas to see the Kauri trees.

  • not following any warning and advice whatsoever.

  • walking off track and over roots, new growth etc damaging them just to get a close up photo in any forests with tracks.

  • deliberate attacking of such trees.

  • carelessness around such trees.

etc

As stated it is a good idea in respect if everyone was and did the right think though we don’t live in a world were people are like that so it’s better if such trees are left as council and local body knowledge.