Mapped: How Adelaide’s tree cover fell away in a decade

The first decade-long study in Adelaide has mapped the shocking decline of the city’s tree cover. See the worst – and best – areas.

Adelaide’s residential tree canopy cover is shrinking at a “startling” rate, the first decade-long study shows, with half of suburbs suffering at least a 10 per cent decline since 2011.

Conservationists have ramped up demands for urgent tree law reform in light of the results.

Location intelligence and aerial imagery company Nearmap compared hi-res aerial images from 2011 and 2022 to find changes in tree cover for 281 suburbs.

Artificial intelligence systems senior director Dr Michael Bewley said losses outweighed gains and overall, residential tree cover fell by 9 per cent.

Specifically, 131 suburbs lost at least 10 per cent of their residential tree cover, which includes private properties and street trees but excludes parks and other areas where people do not live. Only 18 suburbs gained 10 per cent or more.

Dr Bewley said the images painted a “powerful picture … revealing the impact of historical planning decisions”.

Newer suburbs had the biggest relative gains, as saplings grew and spread. But trees disappeared due to infill development in established suburbs that had the greatest losses.

Overall, the tree canopy now covers 18.3 per cent of residential land area, down from 20.1 per cent in 2011.

The latest results follow a Nearmap study of 5000 suburbs nationwide, which placed Adelaide seventh among capital citiesfor proportion of residents – 26 per cent – living in “leafy” suburbs.

Conservation Council chief executive Craig Wilkins said the “startling” new data showed the city was not only failing to meet tree canopy targets, but “accelerating backwards”.

“We knew tree loss in Adelaide was bad but these figures are heartbreaking and must act as a massive wake-up call for all sides of politics ahead of the state election,” he said.

Tree campaigner Tom Morrison, Mitcham Council’s Young Australian of the Year, said the results reinforced “rising community frustration and anger” over tree loss.

But the state government’s Green Adelaide board, which led the successful 2021 bid for Adelaide to become the world’s second National Park City, dismissed the findings. It will this year update its own laser mapping survey done in 2018-19.

“We do not have confidence in the AI-generated mapping by Nearmap,” director Brenton Grear said. “They are not a known, trusted and used data source in South Australia.”

Local Government Association president Angela Evans said she wanted an independent review of planning laws, including stronger protection for trees.

“The state government changes to planning requirements over the last few decades have allowed the removal and reduction of trees on private property, especially through infill development,” she said.

Planning and Land Use Services within the Attorney-General’s Department completed a “desktop review” last year and a “broader review” is to start this year.

Opposition environment spokeswoman Dr Susan Close said Labor would “revise tree regulations to match Australian best practice to protect and increase the green canopy in Adelaide”.

Joanna Wells (L) and Jane Preston with the two century-old, London plane trees on Frome Road facing the axe for access to Lot Fourteen. Picture: Dean Martin

Two century-old London plane trees that shade Frome Road are on the chopping block because they obscure vision of pedestrians and cyclists at the side entrance to Lot Fourteen, but the decision rests with Adelaide City Council.

Tree campaigner Joanna Wells said the removal of any tree from “one of the most beautiful (streets) in Adelaide” would “set a dangerous precedent”.

BEST: Suburbs with the highest gains in tree canopy from 2011 to 2022

WORST: Suburbs with the biggest losses in tree canopy from 2011 to 2022