FAQs

It is a document that provides direction to achieving our canopy cover target, making our City a greener, cooler and more resilient place and set a strategic framework to guide long-term planning and management of urban greening.

An urban canopy refers to the collective layer of tree branches and leaves in a city. It's the green coverage provided by trees along streets, in parks, and throughout urban areas.

The urban canopy is vital for several reasons. It offers shade, improves air quality, enhances the overall appearance of the city, and provides habitat for wildlife. It also contributes to reducing the "heat island" effect in cities.

In 2022, tree canopy covered 27.6% of the entire City area. 

Almost 20% is located within the Adelaide Park Lands, with private urban land hosting 2.6% and city streets and roads the location of 5% of the City’s canopy.

73% of the City area has no canopy because the land is covered by buildings, roads or other surfaces. In the City Central West district, there is only 1.7% of the land surface that is permeable - meaning not covered by a hard surface.

In 2015 City of Adelaide measured its tree canopy cover as 21.7%, so overall the canopy has increased by 5% over the last seven years.

Between 2015 and 2022, the canopy has grown by 782,000m2. Favourable rainfall conditions during La Nina years (2020 to 2022) has boosted natural tree growth, but trees within the Adelaide Park Lands are the biggest contributors to the increasing canopy within the City of Adelaide.

There are approximately 43,000 trees throughout the City of Adelaide, with over 60% of these located within the Adelaide Park Lands. 

The net increase in the number of street trees was 822 for the period 2015 to 2022 and there was also a net increase in private land trees by 534 in the same period.

The method used to identify tree canopy in the City of Adelaide is a blend of aerial photography (photographs taken from the air) analysis and LiDAR data to create a spatial (overhead) view of the exact canopy extent and shape for each tree above 1 metre in height. The same method has been used in 2015 and 2022, meaning we have high quality comparable information to identify where the canopy has changed and by how much in that time.

This is a term used to describe the variety of different greening features we have constructed throughout the City. Planter boxes, vegetated verges, green screens, raingardens, arbours, gardens and grassed parks as well as street trees are just some of the ways we’ve introduced greening into the urban environment where the native vegetation has been removed.

Trees are essential for absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen which balances the air quality and also traps greenhouse gas emissions. Trees and vegetation can be planted to soak up excess greenhouse gases as they grow, preventing gases from escaping into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming.

Trees are also very effective at providing natural cooling because they shade surfaces that would otherwise absorb the suns direct heat during the day and they also expire water vapour through their leaves, creating an evaporative air-conditioning effect. As extremely hot days are projected to become even hotter and more frequent, trees are a great way to adapt to climate change, keep us cool and reduce the urban heat island effect.

https://www.cityofadelaide.com.au/about-adelaide/our-sustainable-city/trees-and-the-city/

You can contribute by planting and caring for trees in your yard or community. Participating in local tree-planting initiatives and supporting urban greening projects are great ways to make a positive impact.

This consultation is helping to inform the Urban Greening Strategy by hearing from you what is important when it comes to greening, trees and nature in the City of Adelaide. Ideas, comments and common themes collected via this engagement will help shape the way we prioritise greening.

We are committed to remaining attuned to community views, aiming to understand and act on local sentiment and deliver better, more sustainable outcomes, for generations to come.

The City of Adelaide consistently gathers insights from our community throughout the year to shape and inform our work, often focusing on our environment and greening initiatives. In this consultation, we seek advice from our community on potential opportunities for additional greening and what our priorities should be.

This ensures we are more informed about our communities needs and helps us plan for a greeener future.

This consultation process is specifically focusing on providing information to guide the development of the Urban Greening Strategy. Feedback from this consultation will also build on the feedback we have received previously through relevant associated projects.

Council reviews its plans and practices on an ongoing basis to ensure a best practice approach, optimising community outcomes.