Under a new plan to save the avenue, six of the trees, most of which were declared dangerous due to ill health, will be removed and replaced.

The Avenue of Honour was planted by the community to commemorate the 50 Drummond residents who went away to World War I.

Residents have also been given the green light to "adopt" the highway, allowing them to perform regular maintenance work on the avenue, which has been allowed to deteriorate due to confusion over who has responsibility for it.

It is hoped wood from the removed trees will be made into 50 plaques, one for each soldier.

Kyneton RSL member Len Peeler said the poor state of the avenue had become an "insult" to the soldiers, 12 of whom had been killed in action.

"After three-and-a-half years of lobbying we've now come to the light at the end of the tunnel," Mr Peeler said.

He said 50 gum trees for 50 soldiers were first planted in the 1920s by residents and they were replaced with elms around the time of World War II.

"Due to a lack of maintenance, poor planning and total disregard, those trees became beetle infested," he said.

Although Vic Roads is responsible for managing the road reserve, anything established on it by someone else is not their responsibility.

But residents did not "own" the avenue either.

VicRoads appointed a local arborist in December last year to report on the condition of the Drummond Avenue of Honour trees following meetings between VicRoads, locals and Hepburn Shire Council in September.

On March 10, VicRoads made its arborist's report available to community members at a site meeting, confirming five trees were in a hazardous condition and should be removed.

"The arborist looked at issues including drought stress, elm leaf beetle infestation and suckering," VicRoads regional director Lance Midgley said.

"Some of the trees pose a serious safety risk to drivers and riders because they can fall or drop branches across the road.