KALAMUNDA residents have again asked the city for stronger tree protection at the November Kalamunda council meeting, with resident Hannah Lill submitting questions and a petition.

Ms Lill said a boundary tree at Sanderson Road shops appeared to have “succumbed to pressures of the development.”

She asked if a tree protection plan had been followed and asked about compliance at the approved McDonald’s development.

The city confirmed the two significant Marri trees were being kept under a protection plan.

“What can community members do if they note behaviour that appears the plan is not being followed?” Ms Lill said.

Acting development director Regan Travers said the Sanderson Road matter would be taken on notice and confirmed a private arborist must oversee the McDonald’s works.

“Residents can report any concerns so officers can investigate,” he said.

Ms Lill asked council to provide the delayed timeline for the draft future forest policy.

She said she submitted a petition calling the draft policy “woefully inadequate” for allowing continued destruction of trees on residential-use land.

Ms Lill criticised the policy for relying too much on replanting instead of retention.

“In a city known for its forest-edge location… we should be aiming for innovative, effective tree protection,” she said.

Her comments follow from a saga of continued calls to reinstate tree retention policies.

It began when Kalamunda councillors voted six to three in February 2024 to revoke local planning policy 33 tree retention.

Supporters of scrapping the policy at the time included all councillors except councillors Kathy Ritchie, Lisa Cooper and Brooke O’Donnell.

Cr Ritchie warned the move risked preventable tree loss and motioned for a six-month review in 2024, but the motion was lost as the decision to bin the policy was passed.

After that, council resolved to adopt WALGA’s tree retention model “within weeks” but by the 2025 annual electors meeting, residents were still waiting.

“We are supposed to be the home in the forest,” resident Michelle Bunn said.

“Not weeks later, but almost a year and no action has been taken.”

Calls for a significant tree register also came back when the register was first proposed in 1999.

Nature Reserves Preservation Group president Steve Gates said the lack of a register left heritage trees unprotected.

Mayor Thomas said the idea could be considered in the next planning scheme review.

Council adopted the draft future forest policy for advertising in July 2025, describing it as a balanced instrument focused on canopy outcomes.

But residents said the broadened exemptions weakened it.

Officers confirmed councillors directed them to avoid “the bias towards tree retention” in the old policy.

Gooseberry Hill resident Victoria Laurie warned the changes could let developers “remove trees after approvals were granted.”

By October, tree retention concerns were again raised in relation to High Wycombe’s Brae Road subdivision.

Resident Kelly McDonald said verge trees once shown as retained were later cleared.

“My 50-year-old eucalyptus… has been approved for removal,” she said.

She argued drilling beneath the roots could save the tree.

Ms Thomas said alternatives like boring underneath the tree to preserve it were explored but were not feasible due to site constraints.

“In this case, the Western Australian Planning Commission approved the subdivision in the Stewart and Brae Road area, which required new underground services such as water and sewer connections,” she said at the time.

“To allow this essential infrastructure to be installed safely and efficiently, the city agreed to the removal of a small number of verge trees, including a mature eucalyptus along Brae Road.”

Ms McDonald said she didn’t agree that only a small number were removed.

“There were 35 trees removed just from this one side of the Stewart Road verge,” she said.

“The Jacaranda tree referred to as relocated was also chopped down along with another Jacaranda tree.

“I predict there will be more tree losses in Sultana Road West when works commence there.”

Meanwhile, a Bassendean resident was fined $17,000 this week for removing trees on private property after the Town of Bassendean in late November celebrated the one-year anniversary of adopting their tree retention and provision policy.

Bassendean was the first local government in the state to adopt the model policy developed by the Western Australian Local Government Association.

Town of Bassendean Mayor Kath Hamilton said the town’s commitment to tree protection reflects strong community support.

“Trees quietly improve our quality of life,” she said.

“They shade our streets, clean our air, reduce stormwater runoff, and even boost property values.

“Our community has told us that protecting and growing our tree canopy is a priority.

“Trees are a long-term investment in the health and wellbeing of our town, and we’re proud to be setting the standard with a policy that protects trees in both public and private spaces.”

The Bassendean town policy considers a tree regulated if it is over 8m tall, has canopy wider than 6m and a trunk circumference of 1.5m or more and is not listed as a weed species by the state or local weed registers.

However, it is worth noting that as of 2024, according to the state government’s urban tree canopy dashboard, Kalamunda’s canopy cover exceeding 3m for street blocks were at 34 per cent, 26 per cent for roads, 35 per cent for parks and 33 per cent for other areas.

In comparison, Bassendean’s canopy cover exceeding 3m for street blocks were at 10 per cent, 14 per cent for roads, 25 per cent for parks and 10 per cent for other areas.