Dear Echo News,
In 2023, after years of work between a community advisory group and Kalamunda city officers, a groundbreaking tree retention policy was adopted in a majority vote.
In 2024, in a motion moved at a council meeting only a year after implementation, Cr Modolo sought to revoke the policy – no opportunity for amendment, just abolish.
Cr Modolo argued it was too poorly written to be implemented consistently by city officers; that land holders only seek to remove trees they really need to.
Additionally, WALGA were developing a tree protection policy that could be quickly adopted to fill the policy void left by the revocation.
Early 2025, a special electors’ meeting of the community passed a motion urging the city to adopt the WALGA tree retention policy, now fully developed and being implemented by others.
Late 2025 the city put out for comment a draft ‘Future Forests’ policy.
This policy’s goal was not to protect existing mature trees, but a framework for how they should be replaced once felled.
148 responses from community resulted and 80 per cent agreed the city must do more to encourage tree planting and protection of trees on private land.
Many raised concerns about lacking protection for existing significant trees compared to WALGA’s policy.
Currently 10 of 30 councils in Perth have used WALGA’s model policy as a basis for tree retention with others currently adopting it.
At the June council meeting, councillors Ritchie, Cooper and Bilich argued, using well laid out logic, why mature trees must be protected to maintain our “home in the forest”.
Professor Kingsley Dixon AO, internationally esteemed botanist, also explained the importance of protecting canopy and policy’s ability to protect on public and private land.
Multiple individuals, community groups (including NRPG and KTCA) asked questions, presented deputations, proposals and statements.
Cr Modolo again argued the policy is too vague to implement; trees on private land do not need protection even though the latest state government modeling shows the city’s tree canopy has fallen in the two-year policy void.
His motion passed three against, five for.
The next time you see a mature tree being cut down, remember that in 2023 we were trail blazers protecting trees; now and in the last 28 months, there is a policy vacuum with no protection.
Remember the councillors that voted against protection despite overwhelming community feedback asking more be done.
Our thanks to councillors who tried to implement majority community views.
Sue Dowson
Nature Reserve
