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FEATURE

Treekeepers meeting
with the Department of industries. Unfortunately, many trees
Forestry regarding the are being maltreated by City-appointed
status of Champion trees, contractors and illegal operators. Part of
July 2017. the process of working with the City is
to develop a relationship with officials
who are responsible for tree care and
maintenance. The good news is that the
Director: City Recreation & Parks, created
a position for a city arborist in 2018. This
official is responsible for developing the
City’s Urban Forest Policy which will replace
the City Tree Policy setting guidelines for
best practice in the arboricultural field and
good health and longevity, and to consider therefore encouraged the City to invest in a establishing service agreements between
felling only as a last resort. digital platform for this essential work. different departments. It will address
specific concerns around tree maintenance
Vision of Treekeepers 4. Motivating new tree planting programmes such as overhanging branches in roads,
The vision of TreeKeepers is to honour and through partner organisations and events. impacts on electrical overhead cables and
conserve trees for all they bring to people and With the recent call for comments on the removal of roots for new underground
our planet. In order to carry this out, we have Climate Change policy, we have called for services.
six main aims: the city to target the minimum 10% tree
1. Conservation of the urban forest, which canopy coverage in order to be classified as TreeKeepers Cape Town has grown in stature
includes all trees in the city on both an urban forest. Sadly, there is a long way as an organisation, and now has active
public and private land, as well as special to go as the current situation is that Cape members in more than ten suburbs. These
protection for mature trees which are the Town only has 6% coverage. “tree people” become the eyes and ears on
backbone of this important city asset. the ground and alert the organisation to
5. Facilitation and promotion of “champion any threats to trees or unlawful activities.
2. Advocacy of the value of trees in terms trees”, a project managed by the There have been a number of success stories
of their environmental, ecological and Department of Forestry under the Forest due to speedy interventions to stop trees
heritage functions, as well as their beauty. Act. We are developing a ‘Local Champion being destroyed unnecessarily. Many of
or Trees of Significance’ programme for the concerns are dealt with by city officials
3. Mapping trees in the urban forest using a lesser category of trees in the Western once the nature of the problem has been
geotechnical information systems and Cape. investigated and monthly meetings are held
highlighting “significant trees”. The starting at the city’s Newlands Nursery offices.
point of any good management practice 6. Accreditation of tree care professionals
is to have an inventory of assets so we is a top priority and we hope to achieve Threats to the urban forest
need to plot and assess all trees within the this by encouraging skills transfer from The term “urban forest” is increasingly
urban forest, considering their risk factors established contractors to other roleplayers referred to by those engaged in thinking
and management requirements. We have in the tree felling and garden maintenance about resilient cities. Since the urban

Two of the Champion trees in Arderne Gardens, Claremont: Araucaria heterophylla (Norfolk Island Pine) and Ficus macrocarpa (Moreton Bay
Fig) known locally as the Wedding tree

Landscape SA • Issue 115 2022 21