The Camperdown to Timboon Rail Trail Committee has struck a deal with protesters to keep the century-old trees.

The poplars, which line Timboon's former railway yard, began to be felled last year, but safety fears halted the works.

Rail trail chairman Alan Kerr said a new group -- Friends of the Timboon Poplars -- would maintain the 33 standing trees.

"We (the rail trail committee) will still manage the land where the trees are, but the friends of the poplars group will be responsible for raising the necessary funds to maintain the trees," Mr Kerr said.

The avenue won't be returned to its former glory, having once stretched about 100 metres.

About 50 metres will be maintained, with poplar saplings replacing every axed tree.

Poplar friends member Rosalie Moorfield said there were still several trees that would be cut down over the next two years.

Safety and environmental concerns prompted the rail trail committee to begin removing the trees. It hoped to replace the introduced species with a native specimen.