This petition of certain residents of the Australian Capital Territory draws to the attention of the Assembly that street and park trees in our established suburbs are declining by around 3,000 a year because the ACT Government’s replanting program is inadequate.
Worse, the last report on this issue, from 7 years ago, showed that our streets and parks need 40,000 trees to fill gaps where trees are missing and to replace dead and dying trees.
Canberra’s urban trees are loved by the Canberra community. They provide shade to keep our suburbs cool in summer and are important for native birds and animals.
Trees will be even more important in future as our climate gets hotter. Planting trees now is an investment in the future of our city.
Your petitioners, therefore, request the Assembly to request the ACT Government to plant an extra 7,000 trees a year to reverse the decline, and begin restoring the city’s tree canopy.