On Wednesday 27 March, WALGA collaborated with the Kings Park and Botanic Garden to launch the WA Tree Festival (Tree Fest) for 2024.
Local Government Officers, Mayors and Presidents, CEOs, stakeholders, and the WA Tree Festival steering committee gathered at the Botanic Terraces to hear from the Director of the Western Australian Botanic Garden Sue McDougall, and renowned WA media personality and long-time host of The Garden Gurus, Trevor Cochrane.
WA Tree Festival brings Local Governments and community groups together to help share the value of trees with residents and tree lovers alike.
In Western Australia, we are losing trees at a rate faster than we can replace them, especially from private development with WA’s overall tree canopy in Perth at 16%, the lowest of any Australian City.
This is the first year WALGA has assisted the WA Tree Festival Steering Committee through a launch event, with the festival reflecting key WALGA initiatives including the Urban Greening Grants Program with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, our recent Model Local Planning Policy for Tree Retention.
Tree Fest also aligns with WALGA’s State Budget Submission ask for cooler cities and shadier suburbs through the creation of a State-Wide Urban Forest Strategy ($1million) and the expansion of the Urban Greening Grant program ($20m over 4 years).
The WA Tree Festival officially runs from Saturday 6 April to Sunday 5 May 2024, making the most of the Autumn planting window.
For a full list of events and activities hosted by Local Governments across the month and learn how your Council can take part, visit https://www.watreefestival.com.au/
