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By Anna Cox 
4h ago
Johannesburg – Joburg residents have been fined more than R1million in recent months for illegally felling trees.
City Parks and Zoo has warned that no resident or business will be spared if caught pruning or cutting trees.
Margaret Arnolds of MMC for Community Development, during the launch of Tree Month this week, said that the value of street trees was calculated based on age, size, species, availability, location, historical significance and current market prices.
Penalties for illegal tree removal included a fine and the replacement value of the tree, which can range from R20000 to R100000 per tree.
Linden residents were recently caught cutting down trees.
A large part of the Joburg tree canopy will reach its full life expectancy in the next two to three decades.
“Thus, aging tree canopies are more susceptible to the adverse impacts of inclement weather, pests and diseases such as Polyphagus Shot Hole Borer, unnecessary pruning and increased urbanization,” he said, adding that the recent and steady decline in the city’s tree canopy requires integrated planning at the multi-entity level to create a wooded Joburg in every part of the city.
While tree planting plans are accelerating to make up for tree losses, progress has been fragmented due to water restrictions, slow responses, and space limitations that are guided by the authorization process to plant trees in public space, Arnolds said.
Space, he said, was limited in Joburg and the City was asking homeowners to plant trees in private spaces. “A tree, regardless of the season, works as a natural air disinfectant that keeps the air filtered of pollutants, deters erosion, acts as a coolant, provides a habitat for wildlife; it serves as a food source, is often medically beneficial and has far-reaching implications for mental health, ”he said.
City Parks was inundated with requests to remove trees due to falling leaves. These requests reflected the need for residents to be educated about the cycle and immeasurable value of a tree.
The annual Tree Week, which runs from September 1-7, began in the city of Joburg with the planting of indigenous trees in Gamka Park in Riverlea and a door-to-door distribution of 250 peach, lemon, orange, apple and apricot trees. to new owners in Protea Glen, Soweto.
Other 2020 native trees will be planted during Joburg Tree Month.
Tree planting programs are being accelerated to close the green gap in the city. Arnolds called on residents to make tree planting a way of life to commemorate births, deaths and anniversaries.
“The legacy of a tree planted to mark a family milestone is a gift for life.”
The star
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