Investigations had shown most of the ageing pine trees, on about 2ha of land, were unstable and could fall on to the road below.
The Frankton Rd site - the first of six sites to have dangerous trees scheduled for removal - would not be replanted immediately.
Instead, it would be tidied up and options for future use would be presented to the Queenstown Lakes District Council for inclusion in the next long-term plan for public consultation.
The work is a continuation of the council's effort to ensure trees within the public domain are managed responsibly, with removals scheduled elsewhere in Queenstown and Wanaka for the next two months.
In March, the Otago Daily Times reported the council had approved the removal of 149 dangerous trees in the 2011-12 financial year, with a proposed budget of $94,000.
Just over 300 trees in the Queenstown Lakes district need to be felled or trimmed because experts have said they are dangerous, however the council had insufficient funds available to deal with them all immediately.
The danger posed by unsafe trees was highlighted during high winds in 2009 when Russell Liggett (57) died when a 20m poplar tree fell on his vehicle on Lower Shotover Rd.
Dangerous trees at Mantra Apartments would be removed today and tomorrow, with Mt Aspiring Road targeted between August 26 and September 1.
Trees at Anderson Rd, also in Wanaka, will be removed on September 1 and 2, with trees at the north end of Lake Hayes removed between September 12 and 16.
The final area will be Morrows Meade (Wanaka), with work scheduled from September 19 to 23.
The council advised the One Mile Track, in Queenstown, is closed this week after snowfalls damaged several trees, which had either been "toppled or damaged by the weight of the snow".
For safety reasons, the public was asked to take note of signage and stay off the track while the felling operation was under way, with the track closed until Friday.
