Media response - Tree City of the World

Published on 23 June 2025

Response to GLAM Adelaide.

• What does it mean for Onkaparinga to be named a Tree City of the World for the first time? The council recently developed a Tree Management Policy. What are the key goals of this policy, and how did it help in the inclusion on this list? With 63,000 trees already planted toward the 100,000 target, how is the council tracking to hit that milestone by 2037? How can residents get more involved in supporting Onkaparinga’s urban forest? Why should we care about the urban canopy?

Quotes attributed to Renee Mitchell, Director Planning

What does it mean for Onkaparinga to be named a Tree City of the World for the first time?

To become the Tree City of the World, the City of Onkaparinga met five core standards. Development of our tree policy met one of these standards.

There are a range of benefits to being part of the program on top of the international recognition, including being able to tap into the Tree Cities of the World global network – sharing and adapting best practices for managing urban trees and forests.

Arbor Day Foundation Program Manager, Sophie Plitt, says Tree Cities of the World is more than a recognition program. “It’s a rapidly growing global movement, transforming how communities view and value their urban forest,” she says. 

The council recently developed a Tree Management Policy. What are the key goals of this policy, and how did it help in the inclusion on this list?

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance around the management and protection of the council’s trees as part of our urban forest and rural landscape. This includes trees along streets, rural roads, parks and reserves, waterways, natural areas and community land owned by the council or under the council’s care and control.

The policy ensures a consistent approach to tree care and management, including retaining, planting and removing trees. It helps us to apply best practice to the way in which we manage trees and to communicate with the community on our tree management.

With 63,000 trees already planted toward the 100,000 target, how is the council tracking to hit that milestone by 2037?

We are well over halfway to achieving our target of planting 100,000 trees on council land. We are currently planting up to 4,000 trees each year with a renewed focus on a quality over quantity approach to planting street trees to ensure we give them the best chance at survival with a changing climate.

However, we also know that we have limited space to plant trees on council land, and planting and retaining trees on private land is critical for our wider urban forest to survive and thrive. To this end, we have undertaken significant advocacy work to improve legislation and planning requirements that support retention and planting of trees on private land.

How can residents get more involved in supporting Onkaparinga’s urban forest?

There are a number of ways our community can get involved in helping to support our urban forest to grow:

• Plant a tree in your yard! – In partnership with One Tree per Child, Green Adelaide, Arborgreen and Trees for Life, we hold an annual tree giveaway and school planting events, to help with this.
• Adopt a tree for your verge – Eligible residents can apply to adopt a street or fruit tree out the front of their property. Council staff will plant and maintain these as part of our annual allocation and provide a tree-care bundle. All we ask is for some help by giving it some food and drink!
• If a resident can’t plant a tree, other types of vegetation are also helpful. You can even plant out your verge providing you follow our verge-planting guidelines.
• Get involved and volunteer! There are hundreds of passionate people who work in partnership with us across our city to take part in a broad range of activities that support our urban forest and biodiversity.
• Get out and enjoy nature and all of the benefits it provides. From cooling to health and wellbeing, there are plenty of spaces across our city to experience and enjoy our urban forest.

Why should we care about the urban canopy?

We all know the relief of finding a cool spot under a tree or walking along a shady, tree-lined street on a hot day.

We need trees for our wellbeing and in urban areas where there are more hard surfaces, as they provide shade and reduce the impact of radiant heat.

Greener cities are nicer to live in, respond better to climate challenges and contribute to a healthier community.

Canopy cover is one measure for cooling our cities with a range of proven benefits including:

• improved air quality
• reduced stormwater impacts
• buffering wind
• cooling local neighbourhoods
• improved mental and physical health
• providing important habitat for local birds and wildlife
• increased property values
• reduced energy bills
• carbon storage.

ENDS