Johannesburg - Joburg residents have been fined over R1million in recent months for illegally cutting down trees.
City Parks and Zoo has warned that no resident or business will be spared if caught pruning or cutting trees.
MMC for Community Development Margaret Arnolds, during the launch of Arbor Month this week, said the value of street trees was calculated based on age, size, species, availability, location, historical significance and current market prices.
Penalties for the illegal removal of trees included a fine and the replacement value of the tree which may vary between R20000 to R100000 per tree.
Linden residents were recently caught felling trees.
A large portion of Joburg’s tree canopy will be reaching its full life expectancy in the next two to three decades.
“The ageing tree canopy is therefore more susceptible to the adverse impacts of inclement weather, pests and diseases such as the Polyphagus Shot Hole Borer, unnecessary pruning and increasing urbanisation,” she said, adding the recent, steady decline in the city’s tree canopy required integrated planning at multi-entity level to create a tree-lined Joburg in every part of the city.
While tree planting plans are being expedited to offset tree-losses, progress has been fragmented due to water restrictions, slow responses and space constraints that are guided by the way leave process for clearance to plant trees in public space, Arnolds said.
Space, she said, was limited in Joburg and the City was calling on homeowners to plant trees in private spaces. “A tree, no matter what the season, works as a natural air sanitiser that keeps your air filtered from pollutants, deters erosion, acts as a coolant, provides a habitat for wildlife; serves as a food source, is often medically-beneficial and has far reaching implications on mental health,” she said.
City Parks was inundated by requests to remove trees due to falling leaves. These requests reflected the need for residents to be educated on the cycle and immeasurable value of a tree.
Annual Arbor Week, observed from September 1 to 7, started in the City of Joburg with the planting of indigenous trees in Gamka Park, in Riverlea and a door-to-door distribution of 250 peach, lemon, orange, apple and apricot trees, to new homeowners in Protea Glen, Soweto.
A further 2020 indigenous trees will be planted during Arbor Month across Joburg.
Tree-planting programmes are being accelerated to bridge the green-divide in the city. Arnolds appealed to residents to make tree planting a way of life to commemorate births, deaths and anniversaries.
“The legacy of a tree planted to mark a family milestone is a lifelong gift.”
The Star