The ACT Government will amend tree regulation and standards to reduce burden on homeowners, reflect contemporary evidence and better support our tree planting program, following the Government far exceeding the tree planting target over the past four years.
In coming weeks, regulatory changes to the Urban Forest Act 2023 will commence which will continue to support our goal of a 30 per cent city-wide canopy cover without imposing unreasonable regulatory and financial burden.
One of the requirements under the Act from its commencement on 1 January 2024 is for a canopy contribution agreement to be entered into when a protected tree is approved for removal. The contribution counterbalances the loss of canopy cover from the removed tree.
Following feedback during since the legislation commenced, several amendments will be made to improve the Act's operation without compromising on its objectives.
Where a homeowner enters a canopy contribution agreement to replace protected trees which have been removed, the regulation will be clarified to require homeowners to plant two trees for each tree removed, or as close as practicable to two trees.
An amendment to the regulation will be made so that Canberrans who retain 30 per cent or more canopy cover on their block after the protected trees are removed will be exempt from the canopy contribution agreement if it is not feasible to plant replacement trees (for example, they do not have space). Further regulatory changes will be made to clarify that where a body corporate seeks to remove a tree on common property—and the removal of the tree is not associated with development work—an owners' corporation for a unit titled development is defined as a homeowner,.
From 1 January to 30 June 2024, the ACT Government has responded to 1,145 requests regarding protected trees on leased land under the new Act. This includes 1,077 tree activity applications relating to 1,677 trees and providing advice on 68 Development Applications relating to protected trees.
"Since the Urban Forest Act commenced, we have been monitoring its operation to ensure it is supporting our tree canopy goals while not imposing an unnecessary burden," said Minister for City Services Tara Cheyne.
"While a legislated review will occur two years after its commencement, at which point additional improvements will be considered, we are addressing these issues now because they have been identified as unintended consequences of the drafting."
In addition to these changes, the systems to administer the new Act have continued to be improved throughout 2024 to achieve greater efficiencies and reduce the average timeframes for processing tree activity applications for industry and the community.
The ACT Government also this week released its yearly report on progress made towards implementing the ACT's Urban Forest Strategy.
"I am pleased to say we exceeded our tree planting target for the year, with over 23,000 trees planted in our urban areas in 2023-24," said Minister Cheyne.
"This brings the total number of trees planted since June 2020 to over 65,000, well above the target of 54,000 set in the Urban Forest Strategy. It puts us in a good position to achieve the ambitious target of 30 per cent of our urban environment covered by tree canopy or equivalent by 2045."
These new plantings have focused on providing trees to fill gaps in residential streets in areas vulnerable to heat, with low levels of canopy cover and where canopy levels are decreasing due to trees reaching the end of their life.
The 2024-25 ACT Budget committed $5.824 million towards a new baseline of city maintenance, including supporting tree care across our city.
"We have increased our care for newly planted trees through a bolstered team of staff who have tended to thousands of trees. This includes watering, mulching, weeding, pruning, and re‑installing or removing tree stakes and guards. Over 42,000 young trees were watered throughout the warmer months from October 2023 to April 2024."
"It is my expectation that this work enters a new phase which has a greater strategic focus to planting, while also ensuring the care for this important asset base is maintained at a high standard."
The ACT Municipal Infrastructure Standards will also be updated to reflect contemporary evidence and understanding on suitable tree species for an urban environment like Canberra.
From the end of this year, the ACT Government will take an approach to planting plane trees sparingly, following a recommendation in a 2019 report by the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society. While plane trees are a beautiful streetscape addition and hardy to drought and frost, there are considerable allergen concerns, in addition to an aggressive root system which damages pavement and infrastructure, dropped seeds which cause trip hazards, and release of irritants.
"This is a measured approach that responds to known concerns, and is one of the steps to support a more strategic focus on planting in the short term while a more comprehensive review of the tree species list gets underway.
"The tree species list will be updated to reflect the response to the Auditor-General's report on urban tree management, incorporating new species deemed suitable through the Living Labs trial and removing species known to no longer be suitable, and providing stronger consideration of species' appropriateness to be planted in different environments.
"Canberra's incredible trees help make our city a great place to live. They provide much needed shade and help cool our suburbs. They also clean our air, reduce water runoff, provide habitats for local wildlife and enhance community wellbeing.
"I thank the dedicated crews within ACT Government that have such a passion for protecting, caring for and planting trees, and sharing the many benefits they bring to the community," concluded Minister Cheyne.
