Trees
Trees and the streetscape of the City is important to residents, visitors and Council alike. Street trees provide enormous benefits to the community including physical, visual, environmental, social, and economical. City of Prospect manages approximately 12,000 street trees. Council has a proactive approach to the maintenance of these trees based on the following:
- age
- condition assessments
- new developments
- storm damage
- customer requests
Urban Street Tree Guide
Currently we are in the process of updating our Tree Policy and Urban Street Tree Guide. These documents will determine the management of trees and the Guide will replace Council’s ‘21st Century Street Tree Manual'. The Guide aims to significantly improve and increase the number and health of street trees through a coordinated approach to their provision and management.
The Policy and Guide will dictate future budget allocations in terms of a proactive Street Tree Planting Programs.
Resilient East Project
City of Prospect has gathered information for the “green tunnel” street tree canopy coverage across our city. This information is currently being analysed and provided to the Resilient East Project as well as assisting in the development of Council’s Tree Policy and Urban Street Tree Guide.
City of Prospect, being a member of Resilient East Project has identified actions and milestones in accordance with the Resilient East Baseline Report 2017, specifically addressing…
- Heat Mapping
- Canopy Cover
- Street Tree Species Review
- Water Sensitive Urban Design
A draft mission statement has been developed as part of the Project: Resilient East Councils will increase canopy and green cover by a minimum 20% by 2045 to create cooler more liveable places for comfort, amenity and urban biodiversity.
A regional approach for canopy and green cover assessment, canopy mapping, and review cycle is being investigated with key stakeholders. This approach has the potential to significantly reduce the costs of future five yearly updates for councils by up to 60 per cent.
This project is a key step towards the implementation of the Resilient East Climate Change Adaptation plans prepared by councils as part of South Australia's Climate Adaptation Framework.
Green Tunnel Project
Attractive tree-lined streets with beautiful leafy green canopies are a unique feature of Prospect. Street trees are considered important from an aesthetic and environmental perspective and the benefits of greening the urbanised environment to our general wellbeing are also well recognised.
As part of our Green Tunnel Strategy, Council is committing $9.4 million over 30 years to ensure trees remain a strong part of the City’s future.
Using the Heat Maps developed through Council’s Resilient East collaboration, Council is prioritising areas of public land for planting, to create ‘green tunnels’ and a cooler, liveable City. By identifying urban heat spots, we take on a proactive approach to tree planting and increase local resilience. In the 2020 planting season, over 170 trees were planted.
Trees are a long-term investment and it can take between 10 to 30 years to experience the benefits of today’s actions. Selected species will be chosen based on their ability to form a ‘green tunnel’, with canopies eventually touching across a street overtime. By planting larger trees, we can also achieve a ‘green tunnel’ effect faster.
Street Trees and Powerlines
Ensuring City of Prospect has a safe and reliable supply of electricity is of paramount importance to SA Power Networks. To achieve this, vegetation needs to be trimmed around powerlines to minimise the risk of outages, avoid damage to lines and ensure public and community safety.
Pruning works are carried out by a qualified horticulture team to ensure pruning is kept to a minimum where possible. Further information is available at right under Related Resources or contact SA Power Networks on 13 12 61 for further information.
Street Tree Planting Program
City of Prospect receives many resident requests for planting of street trees. Council assesses each request on an individual basis and all planting is subject to space, underground services, suitability of location, tree species and budget. Tree planting occurs between June and October each year, which is the best time to establish a healthy root system.
Tree Removals
As you would be aware, street trees are of significant value from both an environmental and an aesthetic perspective and provide enormous benefits to the community. As such, Council will consider all available options before it agrees to the removal of any of its street trees or other roadside vegetation.
To approve the removal of street trees one of the following criteria must be fulfilled:
- The tree is dead or dying
- The tree presents an unacceptable safety hazard, which cannot be alleviated by pruning
- The tree is shown to be causing, or threatening to cause, substantial damage to a building or structure of value
- The tree presents a serious traffic visibility problem which will be recurrent, and which cannot be alleviated by pruning
- The tree is planted in an unsuitable position
Tree Watering
Council has a Tree Watering Program to water newly planted trees for three consecutive years during the summer months and hot/dry periods of each year. Watering generally begins in October of each year, and continues through until March, depending on the hot/dry weather each year. Tree watering for three years is to ensure that the young trees have the best chance to establish themselves and a healthy deep-root system.
We encourage residents to support our watering program by providing street trees with a bucket or two of additional water during the drier months of the year on a regular basis. Keeping grass and other plants away from the planting holes will also further assist in the trees’ establishment.
If you would like any more information on trees within City of Prospect, please contact us on (08) 8269 5355 or email admin@prospect.sa.gov.au.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve just moved in and would like a new tree in front of my house, what do I do?
For any new tree requests, we encourage you to put something in writing. You can do so through the Contact Us page. This is often the quickest and most direct way to submit your request.
How does the Council determine which species of tree to plant in front of my house?
We are still in the process of developing the Urban Street Tree Guide which determines species for each street. Currently, we utilise City of Prospect’s 21st Century Street Tree Manual. The Manual specifies which species of tree will be planted in each street in order to retain uniformity to enhance the visual streetscape appeal. As the manual develops into the Urban Street Tree Guide, species will be reviewed to ensure that only those that will eventually green tunnel are specified.
The tree in front of my home drops leaves and or berries, can it be removed?
As you would be aware, street trees are of significant value from both an environmental and an aesthetic perspective and provide enormous benefits to the community. As such, Council will consider all available options before it agrees to the removal of any of its street trees or other roadside vegetation.
To approve the removal of street trees one of the following criteria must be fulfilled:
- The tree is dead or dying
- The tree presents an unacceptable safety hazard, which cannot be alleviated by pruning
- The tree is shown to be causing, or threatening to cause, substantial damage to a building or structure of value
- The tree presents a serious traffic visibility problem which will be recurrent, and which cannot be alleviated by pruning
- The tree is planted in an unsuitable position
The tree in front of my house is overhanging my boundary, what can I do about having it trimmed?
This issue can also be raised as a Request - click here. Each customer request received for street tree maintenance is inspected and assessed, taking into account the following aspects:
- Tree species
- Tree size – to determine if significant or not
- Overall health/condition
- Structure and defects present
- Proximity to infrastructure and dwellings
- Risk to the community
From this initial inspection, appropriate actions are recommended, enabling Council to effectively maintain the tree and manage public risk, based on its condition and potential for hazard. If the tree is determined to be high risk, appropriate remedial works will be carried out as soon as possible.
For trees that pose a low risk, maintenance works will be addressed as part of the ongoing street tree maintenance program.
Can I prune my street tree?
Residents are not permitted to prune street trees as it is Council's responsibility to ensure that pruning works are undertaken by trained personnel and in accordance with Australian Standards for tree pruning and occupational health and safety.
Generally, trees will be allowed to develop their natural canopy and will not be pruned. Where pruning is essential, it will be carried out in accordance with Australian Standards, for the express purposes of:
- Providing clearance for pedestrian movement
- Improving the safety, structure and health of the tree
- Maintaining clearances for utility services such as powerlines
- Improving vehicle driver's line of sight along vehicle carriageways
- Preventing branches encroaching into neighbouring property from public property
What sort of Scheduled Maintenance Works does City of Prospect undertake?
The tree in front of my house has grown within electrical power wires, and I’m concerned that it may lose a limb within the wires and become a safety hazard. What should I do?
Any trees with branches within high voltage power lines can only be pruned and trimmed by SA Power Networks (SAPN) and their approved contractors. Any concerns you may have around this should be raised directly with SAPN immediately. They can be contacted on their Faults and Emergencies line 13 13 66. SAPN undertake line clearance pruning every two years in order to minimise any issues and hazards.