City horticulturist pursues legal action against developer's illegal felling of mature trees; Johannesburg, South Africa

city of johannesburg - Rosebank's old trees felled:
The architects developing a new site in Rosebank are about to be served with a legal notice by the City, charging them with the illegal felling of mature trees on the land.
GLH & Associates Architects, commissioned with constructing an office development for Standard Bank on the corner of Bolton Road and Cradock Avenue, illegally cut down a number of trees over the age of 60 years.
All thats left of a 80-year-old oak tree Trees over this age are protected by the National Forest Act of 1998 and the Environment Conservation Act of 1989. The protection applies to both indigenous and exotic trees, on either private or public property.
Gabriel Motsatsi, the senior horticulturist and acting general manager for street trees at Johannesburg City Parks, says that he hopes to have a lawyer's letter delivered to GLH by the end of the week.