by David Winderlich
If you Love Your Park Lands, like we do, you might occasionally hear criticism from people who have latched onto a Park Lands myth.
In this article, we’re MYTH-BUSTING the claim that destroying trees in your Park Lands to facilitate development, can be simply offset by planting new trees.
You hear this myth every time the State Government is planning to knock down established trees.
But as Jayne Stinson, Labor MP and Chair of the Parliament’s Environment, Resources and Development Committee told ABC News in December 2022, when she was announcing an inquiry into Adelaide’s urban trees canopy: “It's really not sufficient for us to cut down one tree and say well you can just plant another."
Labor’s Jayne Stinson, on ABC-TV News. Ms Stinson said, to protect Adelaide's tree canopy: "It's really not sufficient for us to cut down one tree and say well you can just plant another."
The State Government’s Greening Adelaide Strategy, released by the Premier on 20 March 2025 gives seven reasons to protect mature trees.
Pic: James Niland
Animals like the rainbow lorikeet roost and breed in the hollows of mature trees. These hollows can take decades to form. Some species like yellow tail black cockatoos keep returning to the same hollows year after year.
The dropped bark, leaves and branches from mature trees provide cover, shelter and sustenance for a host of smaller ground level insects and reptiles; maintaining biodiversity.
Mature trees stabilise soils preventing erosion protecting the nutrients in soil and preventing the pollution of waterways.
Mature trees keep you cool with shade by releasing moisture in a process called evapotranspiration. It’s a bit like the process of sweating.
Mature trees reduce noise by muffling the sound of traffic.
Mature trees act as windbreaks, limit windblown dust and sand and protect more fragile plants.
Big trees are better at absorbing CO2. It can take some trees 10 years to absorb more CO2 than they emit.
Pic: Tara McKenzie
But don’t take our word for it. Read the South Australian Government’s Seven Reasons to Protect Adelaide’s Mature Trees.
See the other Park Lands Myth Busters https://www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/myth-busters
