Local communities to share in $7.2 million tree recovery package

• Cook Labor Government to invest $7.2 million in improving Perth's canopy cover
• Investment and replanting initiative forms part of State Government's unprecedented response to the polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB) infestations and will be complemented with an information program
• Perth Zoo and Hyde Park among iconic Perth sites to benefit from the funding
• Local governments to receive funding and guidance on appropriate replacement trees
• Funding will support the planting of up to three trees for every one lost on public lands

Thousands of trees affected by polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB) at iconic Perth sites, including Perth Zoo and Hyde Park, will be replanted thanks to a $7.2 million investment by the Cook Labor Government.

Shot-hole borer burrows deep in trees, causing dieback and tree death. There is no known chemical treatment anywhere in the world that can kill shot-hole borer once established and tree removal and pruning is the only option to reduce the spread.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is leading the unprecedented emergency biosecurity response to manage shot-hole borer, with the pest likely to have significant impact on Western Australia's urban canopy if it becomes established.

This $44 million emergency biosecurity response is nationally funded and co-ordinated, which means it is being led by Australia's top plant health scientists alongside DPIRD with funding from state, territory and the federal governments.

To support these efforts, the State Government, through the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER), will provide additional funds towards local amenity for affected areas and for local governments and other government agencies to plant up to three trees for every one that has been lost to shot-hole borer.

Funding will support the planting of more than 16,000 trees, with local governments and residential landholders eligible to apply for and receive funds under the program.

Over the past two years, the Cook Labor Government has spent more than $10 million on urban greening initiatives, with additional funding complementing ongoing work to develop a new Urban Greening Strategy for the Perth and Peel regions.

Development of that strategy is led by the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC).

For advice and information about what to do if you spot PSHB in WA, visit: https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/borer.

Comments attributed to Environment Minister Reece Whitby:

"We know planting trees is one of the simplest things Western Australians can do to help fight climate change.

"That's why it's important we replace trees that will be lost to PSHB infestation.

"The Cook Labor Government has invested significantly in Perth's urban canopy by providing grants for local governments to plant trees and working with stakeholders to develop an Urban Greening Strategy.

"We want to build on that work by supporting local governments and residential landholders to recover any trees that are lost as a result of our attempts to manage PSHB in WA."

Comments attributed to Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis:

"I am proud to announce today that we are investing $7.2 million to support the revegetation of Perth's iconic tree canopy.

"Sadly, no treatment options have proven to be effective anywhere in the world and tree pruning and removal of infested trees is the only way to stop the spread of the shot-hole borer.

"Importantly the emergency biosecurity response is showing evidence of success, with recent DPIRD surveillance in Kings Park recording a significant drop of shot-hole borer found in traps following the tree removals on Mount Eliza escarpment earlier this year.

"Early intervention is key in reducing the spread and will help protect WA's trees and our important horticulture sector.

"We need everyone's help in this fight, and I want to thank residents and local governments who continue to work alongside us."