MOUNT Gambier City Council will consider a change to the city’s current tree-planting program which will prioritise quality and size of the trees over quantity.
The recommendation was tabled at last Monday night’s Economic and Environment Committee and asked council to approve the annual planting of 150 advanced mature trees instead of the current 300 standard sized trees.
Following an audit of council’s street tree stock in 1996, a strategy has been in place to plant 300 trees per annum, with the goal of reaching 10,000 trees by 2017.
Currently council’s street tree numbers stand at 8,750, a shortfall of 1,250 street trees of its original target.
Engineering technical officer Sinaway Georgiou said council has struggled to meet the target of 300 street trees every year, however having 8,750 trees was a healthy position to be in.
“A more reasonable figure would be to plant approximately 150 advanced mature street trees on an annual basis,” he said.
“If council reduced the number of trees it planted it would allow mature street trees to be planted, which would still provide the equivalent environmental benefits.”
Councillor Paul Jenner said he understood the need for more mature trees, but expressed concern about halving the number of planted trees.
“We were just at the annual general meeting of the Local Government Association and they said the need to keep our city’s green is a very important part of planning for the future,” Mr Jenner said.
“We are going exactly opposite what the state is saying we should be doing and I think we’ve gone too far by going back to 150 trees.
“In 10 years we are going to have less trees.”
Councillor Frank Morello questioned why there had to be a concrete number set.
“Why define a number? Why have 150 or 300, why not have it say up to 300 trees could be planted,” Mr Morello said.
The report also recommended council include a standard condition that a street tree be planted adjacent to each vacant lot as part of that development.
Council will make a formal decision on the recommendations at next week’s full council meeting.
