Perth Voice Interactive

WA’s biggest council concedes it can’t reach its tree canopy target because developers are axing mature trees faster than it can afford to plant replacements.

Stirling says it faces spending $16.3 million every year to have any hope of achieving its 18 per cent canopy target by 2030 (coverage now is 12.7 per cent). That’s about $245 million to plant 330,000 mature trees at the cost of $500-$800 per plant.

The actual spend now is about $5.2 million a year for 7000 mature trees and the “City of Stirling only has the capacity to plant a maximum of 10,000 trees each year”, states a council report tabled this week.

“The city would need to plant 22,000 trees each year on public land to reach 18 per cent canopy cover by 2030 in order to offset the loss of tree cover as a result of development on private property,” the council report states.

It also states that if the council keeps losing trees at the current rate, about 3800 mature trees will be lost across the city every year.

The cost to ratepayers for the loss of trees on private land is estimated at $6 million per year.

The news comes as the council considers options to turn the situation around in its draft “trees and development” planning policy, which may aim to preserve existing trees on private land by adding conditions on development approvals.

Four options were tabled: the first is a “business as usual” policy, meaning the average residential canopy cover will drop by 5.2 per cent in 15 years.

The second — which the committee has recommended be endorsed following community consultation — requires developers to retain on-site trees at the rate of one tree per 500sqm and development applicants must pay for a verge tree.

The third allows developers to pay an “off-set” fee if they don’t want to plant a tree. The fourth, which community action group Stirling Urban Tree Network is pushing for, prescribes “comprehensive tree protection”.

The last option includes a “significant tree register” where large trees on private property would be protected, banning the removal of registered trees except on rare occasions under special circumstances.

Stirling Urban Tree Network convenor Leisha Jack says it wants to work with the council to develop the policy because she’s “not really” happy with option two.

“Anything taller than 2m should require some sort of approval, even for pruning trees,” she says.

“We need to preserve what we’re got remaining because the urban heat island effect is dangerous. Heat kills. All the new trees that are going to be planted won’t be any good for the canopy for another 20 years.”

by EMMIE DOWLING