Admin 
The City of Onkaparinga has set new tree canopy and green cover targets, with clear and measurable goals for both council land and citywide until 2055.
The new targets realign the council’s goals with the state government’s, which aims for 30 per cent tree canopy cover across metropolitan Adelaide by 2055.
The new targets coincided with the announcement that the City of Onkaparinga has been named a Tree City of the World for the second year running – one of only 12 council areas across Australia listed in the prestigious global network.
The City of Onkaparinga’s new targets include:
- 40 per cent green cover (trees, vegetation, grass) and 30 per cent tree canopy cover (trees above 3m) citywide by 2055
- 30 per cent tree canopy cover on urban council land by 2055 – prioritising suburbs that currently have less than 10 per cent canopy cover
- increasing the council’s existing target of planting 100,000 trees by 2037 – a goal set in 2017 – to 150,000 trees by 2037 (66,000 planted as of 2025).
City of Onkaparinga Mayor Moira Were said the ambitious new targets ensured the council aligned with those set by the state government in 2025, while also reflecting Onkaparinga’s climate, biodiversity and land-ownership challenges.
“Trees and vegetation make our suburbs more liveable, healthier and cooler, and they benefit biodiversity, air and water quality, and community health and wellbeing,” she said.
“We also know our community overwhelmingly cherishes trees – 90 per cent of respondents to our 2024 community survey said they support planting of appropriate trees in streets, with 95 per cent supporting planting in parks and reserves.
“That’s why it’s vital we have ambitious and measurable targets with a clear end goal, helping ensure we have a cooler and greener city.”
About Author
