by Carla Caruso

Do you have a favourite tree in the Adelaide Park Lands? Or maybe even a few?

Adelaide City Councillor Phillip Martin would love to hear about it, as would we at the APA. (We’d gladly share pics of your faves!)

At last week’s City Council meeting, Cr Martin put forward a motion, requesting the administration look into the feasibility of creating an online map of the city’s trees. 

The idea was first put to him by APA member and Park 6 ambassador Valdis Dunis, as previously reported.

The map would replicate the City of Melbourne’s Urban Forest Visual Map – an online tool, which allows the public to learn more about a particular city tree or report damage via email.

Council members voted unanimously to support the idea. Although, Councillor Alex Hyde suggested ditching the option of “corresponding” with a tree, as per Cr Martin’s original motion. This amendment was supported.

In Melbourne, an unexpected albeit positive consequence of the initiative has been people from all over the world writing love letters to its trees. (Staff reply on behalf of the greenery.)

According to CityMag, though, Cr Hyde said at the meeting: “If some people wish to correspond with vegetation that is certainly up to them… [But] I would just hate to see our ratepayer funds used to encourage it.”

For Cr Martin, the map is “an extension of systems that operate in other cities around the world”. 

“People can report on other features of their environment – whether it be roads full of potholes, or pavers, which are rising out of the pavement and represent trip hazards. 

“The difference with this one is that it’s about encouraging people to revel in their trees… One of the things that is often missing in cities is people having a sense of ownership of the environment in which they live. 

“Anything we can do to enhance that sense of connection people have with their environment, and to encourage them to care for that environment, is an enormous plus.”

Cr Martin’s proposal follows Adelaide being named the world’s second National Park City this month, after London. 

“I think [Councillor] Greg Mackie said it in Council; it’s serendipitous that this should happen at the same time that Adelaide’s achieved such an outstanding recognition,” Cr Martin says.

Still, it hasn’t been all good news for Adelaide’s greenery of late. 

Also this month, aerial survey company Nearmap released analysis of tree cover across 5,000 suburbs nationwide. Adelaide was found to be one of the least green cities, trouncing only Perth for tree canopy. (Subscriber link to Adelaide Now article here.)

Adelaide was seventh among the capital cities, with just 26 per cent of people residing in leafy suburbs. 

However, Nearmap’s data focuses on residential areas and doesn’t include public parks. Green Adelaide – a government-established board – is in the process of capturing a complete tree canopy and urban heat data set of its own. 

As for Councillor Martin’s online map idea, a report into its viability will be presented to elected members next April.

In the meantime, Phillip Martin encourages people “to pick a tree that they love and take an interest in it”.

“Of course, you can have an abiding love of a tree and the good thing about trees is it doesn’t have to be monogamous. You can have two or three trees that you like.

“Having a relationship with a tree is a pretty special thing – it never disappoints, it never makes you angry.”

Like Valdis Dunis, Councillor Martin is a fan of the Moreton Bay Fig on the corner of Sir Edwin Smith Avenue and War Memorial Drive.

“On occasion, I’ve even detoured from the path through the Park Lands just to go and have a look at all the crevices and the way in which the root system snakes all out into the Park Lands. It’s really beautiful.”

Councillor Martin is a former ABC and SBS senior executive. He intends to campaign for Lord Mayor next year. Currently, he’s in his second term on Council, representing North Ward (North Adelaide).