Coldstream Street in Yamba will soon get a green facelift. Clarence Valley Council will replace 19 tuckeroo trees (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) with advanced water gum trees (Tristaniopsis laurina ‘lucious’) after receiving numerous complaints from business owners and residents about the tuckeroos. Those complaints included claims the existing trees had performed poorly, were out of scale with the street, were damaging nearby pavements and other structures, were infested with ‘stink bugs’ and covered trees, furniture, walls and pavements in sooty mould. Council’s open spaces supervisor, Andrew Auglys, said the tuckeroos also required regular pruning from the ground and away from overhead wires. “Research has shown the water gum trees will provide the great ecological and community benefits in comparison with the existing tuckeroos,” he said. “They are an improved cultivar native to northern NSW, create a great canopy spread and shading benefits, absorb more gaseous pollutants and are subject to lower levels of vandalism due to high canopy clearances. “Nineteen trees between River and Yamba streets will be replaced and the new stock will be located where there is sufficient growing space and conditions are suitable. “This will be a staged project conducted outside peak business hours to keep disturbance to shop owners and the community to a minimum.” The replacement trees are about 3m tall and Mr Auglys said they would provide instant shade and aesthetics to the current streetscape. Work is expected to start in about a week and the replacement trees are expected to settle into place in time for the peak growing season.