City of West Torrens Tree Strategy 2018 – 2025

The City of West Torrens comprises 36 square kilometres of Adelaide’s western metropolitan area. The greatest percentage of the land area is dedicated to residential development, while the commercial areas comprise a range of industrial, logistic, distribution and retail establishments. Adelaide Airport Limited is a significant land holder within the city, taking up approximately 20 per cent of the total land area. About six per cent of the total land area within the city is dedicated to public open space, including the River Torrens Linear Park, local and neighbourhood parks and other public open spaces such as ovals and sporting grounds. Council also manages and maintains about 300 km of streetscapes. These streetscapes and public parks are a significant feature of the Council area and are highly valued by the community, so it is critical that they are planned, planted and managed in a way that delivers on Council’s many aspirations and its overall vision for future development within the city. To achieve this Council has prepared the City of West Torrens Tree Strategy – towards an urban forest (the Strategy). The Strategy provides a framework for the ongoing management and development of Council’s tree assets (trees in public streets, parks and other public places). The term ‘urban forest’ is used to describe all of the trees (in streets, homes, parks, woodlands, alongside waterways, etc) located in urban communities. Measured as a canopy cover percentage of the total land area, the urban forest is recognised as a primary component of the urban ecosystem. The Strategy details a vision for the future that sees the evolution towards a sustainable urban forest throughout the city, supported by a clear vision, objectives, actions and new tree management policies for sustainable tree management, preservation and renewal within the Council area.