Perth got millions for new trees. Not a single one has been planted

Approaching a year since the state government promised $7.2 million to replant 16,000 trees devastated by a destructive beetle, not a single tree has been planted and none will hit the ground until at least May 2026.

In response to concerns raised by Greens MLC Brad Pettitt in state parliament regarding the progress of the WA Tree Recovery program, including the number of applications received from local governments and residents, new Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said only that the “program continues to progress”.

Stumps left after tree removal due to the polyphagous shot hole borer, on the edge of Kings Park, fronting Mounts Bay Road in Perth. Credit: Ross Swanborough

The multimillion-dollar investment was to help replace thousands of trees affected by polyphagous shot-hole borer at Perth landmarks including Perth Zoo and Hyde Park.

It comes after the news that the majority of trees and shrubs on the islands in Hyde Park’s two lakes are now infested with shot-hole borer, and will need to be removed.

Its eradication is a tough battle with no treatment options proven to be effective anywhere in the world – tree pruning and removal of infested trees is the only accepted way to stop the spread.

City of Vincent Mayor Alison Xamon said the council just started its annual tree program with around 4000 new plants to be planted on Hyde Park islands this winter, including mature trees to bring back canopy quicker.

She said minimising the loss of more trees to the borer was a priority for Vincent.

“The State Government grant funding is not yet available. As soon as it is released, we will apply,” she said.

“We will continue to seek additional funding support from state or federal government to ensure we not only replace, but increase our tree canopy coverage across Vincent.”

Xamon said her team continued to work with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, industry experts and other local governments to trial treatments.

A spokesman for Premier Roger Cook said it was not unusual for programs to be administered on such a timeline, particularly in this instance, given trees were best planted in winter, and the program was announced at the end of winter 2024.

The shot hole borer has already caused thousands of trees to be felled.Credit: City of Vincent/Supplied

After questions asked by this masthead last week the Department of Water Environment and Regulation on Monday finally released details of the program and invited applications. However, local governments won’t know the outcome until late August 2025.

DWER said announcing the funding then would allow local governments to order tree and understorey stock for planting across the 2026, 2027 and 2028 planting seasons.

The best time to plant new trees is between May and August.

The program provides funding for the replacement planting of three trees to each one removed due to borer infestation. Each tree removed is eligible for up to $1140 in funding.

A residential rebate program will be launched in July. Rebates of up to $150 will be available via ServiceWA for residents who have purchased and planted a replacement tree.

Pettitt said the WA Government’s commitment to plant one million new trees in metropolitan Perth by 2035 was looking increasingly unlikely with delays like this.

“During the 2025 election the Cook Government committed to double Perth’s urban tree cover to 30 per cent by 2040. To achieve this important target we need to go early and go hard, not late and slow,” he said.

“Perth’s tree canopy cover is the lowest in the nation and while the WA Government is unwilling to release the data, best estimates suggest that this has now dropped to a record low of less than 15 per cent.

“You would think that announcing a program in the winter of 2024 would mean that you plan to implement in the winter of 2025, not a whole two years later.”

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said shot-hole borer was likely to have “significant impact” on WA’s urban tree canopy if it became established.

The South East Asian pest has forced the destruction of thousands of trees across Perth since it was discovered in Fremantle in 2021.

The pest bores holes and plants a fungus that prevents trees transferring nutrients, slowly killing them.

A quarantine area covers the entire Perth metropolitan area and has been divided into two zones to contain the spread.

Meanwhile, a new report by Deloitte Access Economics revealed on Monday the incredible value of Kings and and Bold parks to the state, estimated at $1.7 billion over 30 years.

Confirming Kings Park’s status as one of the most popular tourist attractions, the report found that in 2023, 1 in 2 international visitors, and 1 in 5 interstate visitors, visited Kings Park, which is 60 hectares bigger than New York’s famous Central Park.

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