The ACT government needs to consider which tree species are appropriate for planting in urban areas to limit the risk of damage from severe weather events, a parliamentary inquiry has found.
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The government should also consider the distribution of the city's tree canopy when evaluating applications to remove trees in order to prevent areas from being subject to a worsened heat island effect, the standing committee on planning, transport and city services said.
"The committee recommends that, after considering and responding to the recommendations in this report, the Assembly pass the Urban Forest Bill 2022," the committee's report said.
The bill, introduced by the government to the Legislative Assembly in August, will set out the laws the government says will support a 30 per cent tree canopy coverage target in Canberra by 2045.
The ACT government previously committed to 30 per cent tree canopy cover in Canberra by 2045, which will require 450,000 extra trees. A 2020 analysis showed the tree canopy cover in the city was 22.5 per cent.
The committee noted concern the target was difficult to measure and unambitious in some areas, given the already higher level of established canopy cover in some Canberra areas.
The government should determine how the canopy cover can be maintained in areas that already exceed 30 per cent.
"Given the variations in canopy coverage across various suburbs, it is important that the bill does not lead to perverse outcomes whereby existing suburbs with high levels of canopy coverage see a reduction due to a city-wide focus," the inquiry report said.
"The committee recommends that the ACT government consider whether the policy associated with canopy targets addresses the distribution of canopy and maintenance of the canopy where it already meets or exceeds the 30 percent target."
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The laws will also introduce fines and a bond scheme for tree removal as disincentives for homeowners, builders and property developers for reducing the tree canopy.
Homeowners would need to plant two new trees for every tree they remove, or pay $600 a tree if planting two trees is impossible, under the laws.
Property developers would be required to replant trees they removed or make a payment based on the value of tree, which could be as high as $14,980 in high-density areas.
The committee's inquiry was told mature native trees provide significant biodiversity benefits in the urban environment, but often take longer to grow and can be inappropriate trees in certain city areas.
The standing committee on health and community wellbeing in that inquiry said the government should review the rules for removing potentially hazardous trees and branches.
"The legal protections given to trees in Canberra may be causing some potentially dangerous trees to be left without pruning or removal, further increasing that chance that they will cause damage in future weather events or during drought," the committee said.
The inquiry into the Urban Forrest Bill found "the ACT government should establish clear linkages to existing laws and policies regarding protection of remnant trees and mature trees and should consider the appropriateness of tree species as part of future urban planning with regard to the factors outlined above".
The government should also consider suitable replacements for removed pest trees, so that those trees' contribution to the overall canopy cover is not permanently lost.
The committee made 17 recommendations, including for a review of the legislation two years after it comes into effect and to ensure traditional custodian representation on the government's tree advisory panel.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
