Residents of Johannesburg could be fined up to R327K per tree, for illegally chopping or felling street trees.
Fines are determined according to the size, species, age, location, health, and heritage value of a tree.
This is due to Joburg’s newest Street Tree bylaw, which prohibits the removal and disturbance of trees.
Adelaide Chokoe, Aboriculture Advisor, for the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, said there are
an estimated 3 million trees in Joburg, across 7 regions in open public spaces (street trees and parks).
However, a large portion of trees, about 6 million or so, are in private residents.
“In older affluent suburbs, the most dominant species are the Jacaranda mimosifolia (the Blue Jacaranda) and Platanus spp (Platanus x acerifolia (Southern Woods or London plane), Platanus wrightii (Arizona Sycamore), Platanus racemosa (Western Sycamore).
In newly planted areas, the most dominant species is Combretum erythrophyllum (River Bushwillow) and Celtis spp, Celtis African (White Stinkwood), C. sinensis (Chinese nettle tree) and Celtis sinensis (Chinese Hackberry)” says Chokoe.
So is the bylaw encouraging the non removal of alien invasive trees?
Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) conservation head, Lombard Shirindzi, said it’s not about whether a tree is invasive, exotic or indigenous.
The underlying principle is, residents must not cut or remove public trees without consulting City Parks officials.
“If such an invasive alien tree is in your yard, by all means, cut it down. Many trees considered as invasive species, are in any case old, above 30 years old and we prefer phasing them out, naturally, to replace them with new ones.”
But Joburg has oak trees as well as London trees in areas such as Mayfair, Parktown and Saxonworld.
There are oak trees around as well, that have become a heritage.
Removing these, would rob residents of multiple benefits, including services provided by urban trees such as provide food, shelter and act as green lungs to all.
Shirindzi said the city’s tree canopy is particularly at risk over the winter and autumn months when there is a surge in reports of illegal felling and requests to remove trees.
In a statement, the JCPZ said that it’s working closely with enforcement agencies and the Municipal Courts to ensure non-complying residents and businesses are held accountable for the illegal removal, setting alight, or pruning of street trees and fallen leaves.
According to the bylaw, “no person may damage any tree on any public road within the municipal area of the Council and that, only JCPZ is authorised to remove, maintain and prune street trees.”
He said the City’s budget to fight alien species, goes towards the most aggressive plants, which threaten water resources directly, occurring along riparian areas such as rivers and spruits.
Pictures: PlantsWhitSunday, Leafland New Zealand & Tree factor indigenous trees.