Tree care

Pruning, maintenance and watering

Council will prune and maintain trees to ensure they remain healthy. Qualified arborists prune all street trees as part of our ongoing maintenance program and as required. 

We do not prune to:

• reduce the overall size of a tree
• reduce the impact of fruit and leaf litter
• align the canopy with a boundary
• allow or improve a view
• remove shade from solar panels

Where requests for pruning of trees are made, they will be considered on an individual basis. 

New trees are watered for the first three to four years to help them get established. We may also mulch, prune and stake new trees as required. 

If you believe a street tree requires pruning, please review our tree strategy first. We have a programmed maintenance schedule for every tree in the City of West Torrens. You can submit a request for your street tree to be pruned here. The tree will be assessed by an Arborist and any necessary work will be carried out by our staff.

Please do not prune street trees yourself. They are public property and it is our responsibility to look after them. 

Scheduled street tree block pruning 

Download our schedule for tree pruning.

 

Vegetation around powerlines

Even if trees in public areas are owned by Council, SA Power Networks (SAPN) is required by legislation to inspect and clear vegetation from around powerlines.

While we manage the urban forest for our community and the greater good of future generations, we are not responsible for the clearance of vegetation from powerlines. It is the responsibility of SAPN to implement regular pruning by appropriate skilled and qualified personnel in a timely manner of no more than every three years.

If you require more information regarding vegetation clearance near powerlines visit SA Power Networks.