Adelaide City Councillor Alex Hyde calls for gum tree removal on Grote St, Prospect Rd

Adelaide City Council’s dominant faction wants potentially killer gum trees removed from city streets.

The newly-planted gum trees on Grote St. Picture: Tom Huntley

Adelaide City Council’s dominant Team Adelaide faction wants potentially killer gum trees relocated from city streets to the Adelaide Parklands.

But the council has warned the move may kill some.

Faction leader Councillor Alex Hyde said around 100 small gums had been planted in the last three months along Grote St and Prospect Rd, but could easily be removed for the cost of cash left over from the beautification projects.

He is calling for the council to discuss the issue at a meeting next Tuesday.

Mr Hyde said it was unacceptable that there had been two fatalities from falling trees in the last three months but at the same time there had been mass plantings of gums along council roads.

A tree limb fell on a parked car on South Terrace, Adelaide, on 15 December 2020. Picture: Caleb Bond

He criticised the council administration’s failure to develop a policy on the issue.

“They are not a problem right now of course, but in 10 or 15 years time they will be a real problem,” he said.

“Putting trees along heavily patronised footpaths and roads is where we must think much more about safety.”

A council spokesman said a full response to the plan would be prepared, with expert opinion sought.

“Subject to a qualified arboriculture assessment, the trees could potentially be relocated but factors such as costs involved and likely success rate — as the amount of time trees have been in the ground is important — and approval from Council on replacement species all needs to be considered,’’ the spokesman said.

Councillor Robert Simms said the views of experts should decide the issue.

“We should only be removing trees in the city if there is a clear public safety reason to do so. This requires an assessment from an arborist, not a City Councillor,” he said.

“Council shouldn’t start randomly removing trees in the city, particularly at this time of climate crisis.”

The lemon scented gums can grow to 40m in their natural environment but as street trees would only grow to between 20m and 30m.

Lemon scented gums can drop limbs in hot and dry conditions and Mr Hyde said as climate change worsened, this would become more common in Adelaide.

“I mean on Grote St, with 25,000 cars every day, why?” he said.

“Gum trees have biodiversity value, but should not be in the middle of a road.

“I think the Grote St planting was a week or so after a tragic death caused by a gum tree limb.”

Mr Hyde said the council must adopt a tree planting policy and study which tree were most safe and best to use when planting beside roads.