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Hundreds of trees have arrived in Canberra in preparation to replace the trees that will be ripped out for the light rail corridor along Northbourne Avenue. While the removal was scheduled to start this month, it has not yet begun and the ACT government has not given a starting date because they have not finished the "design development process". In recent weeks, 800 trees have been delivered from Eastern Victoria to Canberra, with the most recent 200 having arrived on Thursday. Another 400 Eucalyptus mannifera trees will arrive in the coming weeks. The trees had been growing in a western Gippsland nursery near Traralgon and once matured were taken to the Yarralumla Nursery. Ultimately the Canberra Metro light rail consortium is organising and paying for the removal and replacement of all 358 trees between Alinga and Antill streets on the Northbourne verge. The ACT government could not put a price tag on the enormous task because "it is included in the total costs of work for the [light rail] project and is not broken down". The new trees will be planted along the corridor once they grow to between four and five metres and when "the light rail's construction schedule is finalised," a Transport Canberra and City Services ACT government spokesman said. Stage one of the light rail construction will see trees removed from the Northbourne Avenue median, from Flemington Road between Gungahlin and the intersection with the Federal Highway, from the Federal Highway to Dickson and in Mitchell. "The trees to be replaced are reaching their later years where structural integrity issues are common and will need to be replaced in coming years," the TCCSD spokesman said. "The exact number of trees to be removed and replaced in the corridor will be determined through completion of the design development process, which is yet to be finalised." The 12km Civic-to-Gungahlin light rail track is expected to take up about seven metres of the total 27-metre wide median strip, leaving about 10 metres on either side for the landscaping and trees. "Planting will occur as part of the construction process and it is not envisaged it will require any particular disruption to traffic or nearby residents," the spokesman said. The planting will occur in blocks, but no further details have been provided. The spokesman said he expected the removal or replacement to cause minimal disruption. "Planting will occur as part of the construction process and it is not envisaged it will require any particular disruption to traffic or nearby residents," he said. The mannifera are a local species, with more than 100,000 already in Canberra streets and parks. Yarralumla Nursery is also growing other species for the project. In April, 42 diseased and dying trees judged to be unsafe were felled on Northbourne Avenue, but this was as part of the government's on-going "monitoring, safety and integrity review process" in the corridor. Another 17 trees were removed from a block on Northbourne Avenue in October, with the government citing danger from recent weather.

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