13 June, 2014

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago… the next best time is now

We’re privileged to be the custodians of the City of Adelaide, its streets and buildings and its beautiful Park Lands and Squares. Along with privilege comes responsibility which is why we take caring for our trees and green spaces incredibly seriously.

Tree management is part of the Council’s day to day core business and is overseen by a collection of highly-qualified and equally passionate arborists and horticulturalists.

Council’s duty as manager of the green space and tree stock means it’s very important that trees and streetscapes are maintained, managed and where necessary renewed or replaced.

The recent introduction of a real-time tree management system enables field crews to record, monitor and report on tree health in one up-to-date database that is easily accessed no matter where they are in the Park Lands or city.

Over the past two years we have planted more than 10,000 trees across the city and made sure that for every tree we remove, at least two are planted in their place. Council’s design team creates concepts for street-scapes with painstaking thought and detail which transforms into environments for everyone to enjoy.

In Hindmarsh Square, where until recently stood a 120 year old Moreton Bay Fig that was failing, an updated space complete with a semi-mature five-metre tall Moreton Bay Fig and five new plane trees now stands.

Decisions to remove old and significant trees are always tough, but they’re made with the safety and best interests of the public at heart and a firm eye on what we can do to replace what has been lost. It’s about planning for future generations, just as past Councils have done for us.

So next time you see council workers removing a tree be assured it’s done with a great deal of thought and importantly, consideration for what comes next in its place.