The council roading and parks managers have also been instructed to write a joint report on the management of other trees growing on or near rural road reserves.
The actions were prompted by the death of Queenstown farmer Russell Albert Liggett (57), who was killed when a 20m tree from the Lombardy poplar row fell on his vehicle during high winds just over two weeks ago.
The councillors resolved at a public meeting in Wanaka yesterday to extend their condolences to the family of Mr Liggett.
They also resolved to assess the health of Lower Shotover Rd poplars using a resistograph, or similar method, costing about $13,200 ($200 per tree).
Chief executive officer Duncan Field has been authorised to approve the removal of any trees that parks manager Gordon Bailey and an independent, qualified arborist consider to be "a hazard to life in normal seasonal conditions".
Queenstown resident Jude Gillies, who has a degree in horticulture from Lincoln University, made an impassioned plea for a "stay of execution" during the council's public forum in Wanaka yesterday.
Ms Gillies also expressed her sympathy to Mr Liggett's family but said "retributive justice" on all the trees in the row was a knee-jerk reaction.
She also criticised a recent risk assessment of the row by council contractor Asplundh arborist Rob Slater as inadequate, lacking independence and presenting just the extreme recommendations of either closing the road or felling the entire row.
Parks manager Gordon Bailey, landscape architect Marian Read and roading manager Ian Marshall presented reports.
Asplundh's visual inspection had been done quickly and concluded all 66 trees contained some dead wood, Mr Bailey said.
Dead-wood-ing the trees would cost about $66,000 (or $1000 per tree).
Dr Read said from a landscape perspective she did not support topping the trees into a hedge.
It was possible not every tree needed to be removed, she said.
Councillors expressed concerns about setting a precedent for every tree planted close to 600km of rural roads within the region's 800km roading network.
Deputy mayor John S. Wilson, of Wanaka, chaired the meeting in the absence of Mayor Clive Geddes, who is on annual leave.
"We quite clearly are not going to be able to monitor and do remedial work over 800km because Stu [finance manager Stuart Burns] would have a coronary, among other things," Cr Wilson said.
Cr Vanessa van Uden said the cost of assessment must be balanced against the risk of any tree falling down in high winds.
• What is a resistograph?
A resistograph is done using a drill and aids in the detection of decayed timber. As the drilling needle penetrates the structure or tree, the resistance is measured and recorded on a graph, which is then analysed to determine the extent of rot.
