Help save our trees

A new public campaign is setting out to save our trees, and demand stronger action from the State Government to address the staggering losses occurring across South Australia, particularly in urban areas.

Trees are a vital part of the urban environment. They provide a cooling effect by offering shade and lowering temperatures, as well as storing carbon, improving soil and water conservation and supporting greater biodiversity and human well-being.

It is estimated Greater Adelaide is currently losing approximately 75,000 trees each year. New plantings, when they do occur, cannot keep pace with the consequences of these losses, especially when many of those lost are mature trees, which contribute far greater benefits than new plantings.

Urban green cover — the total area covered by vegetation — is diminishing at the rate of four Botanic Gardens each year, or the total area of the City of Campbelltown each decade. If this continues, there is no hope of reaching Adelaide’s target for an increase of 20% in our green cover by 2045.

The State Government’s new Planning and Design Code has failed to address the urgent need to protect our trees and green space. In fact, the code is likely to make matters worse by promoting further tree removal for high density developments and allowing developers to shirk their obligations to plant replacement trees by paying a pathetically small 'offset' fee.

A group of concerned individuals and organisations are launching a public campaign to save our trees and demand action from the State Government to address tree losses across the State. The following measures have been identified as urgent and necessary to stem the precipitous decline.

Updating the definitions and exemptions for regulated / significant trees

• Changing the definitions and exemption provisions for regulated/significant trees.

• Expanding the range of trees classified as regulated/significant.

• Remove the 10 metre and 20 metre exemptions.

Improving planning processes and decision-making

• Including additional policy in the Planning and Design Code in relation to tree canopy and incentives to retain trees.

• Increasing tree planting requirements for new developments and significantly increasing amounts to be paid in the offset scheme.

• Using qualified arborists to a greater extent in the planning assessment process.

• Dealing with applications for regulated/significant tree removal on development sites at the approval stage.

• Revising tree planting and payment offsets when tree removal is allowed.

• Providing more guidance regarding maintenance pruning of regulated/ significant trees.

• Increasing penalties for illegal removal and destruction of trees.

Supporting and engaging the community in caring for trees

• Providing funding to councils to identify individual trees and stands of trees that are significant for inclusion in the Planning and Design Code.

• Supporting homeowners to maintain regulated and significant trees on their properties.

• Greater use of incentives to encourage retention, such as discounts on rates for homeowners.

• Improving public engagement for development applications affecting trees.