Adopt a Street Tree
Street trees are an important part of the urban canopy and provide a wide range of benefits, from creating green corridors for wildlife to cleaning our air and reducing traffic speed. Street trees live in an exposed environment, which can impact their health and growth, so give street trees the care they need to become lush and magnificent.
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STREET TREE FAQs
Mulch over the roots and not against the trunk.
Don’t damage the bark. If you mow near trees, be careful not to knock or break the bark on their trunk.
Water trees in dry periods.
No. Street trees are owned by the Council for everyone’s benefit and so you cannot prune them without permission. If you see a tree that looks desperately in need of pruning (for the sake of its health), make a report to the Council at this link.
No. Our verges are owned by Auckland Transport (and street trees are owned by Auckland Council). They are working hard to get more street trees planted, but they don’t encourage people to plant their own because utilities like water pipes and fibre-optic cables often run under verges. Without knowing where these are you might accidentally hurt yourself or cause damage to a service.
We don’t recommend using grass clippings as mulch, unless they are well mixed in with other mulch materials like bark. This is because grass clippings on their own can create anoxic conditions that are not good for tree roots. They may also contain grass seed which will sprout up around the trunk and need clearing.
It might seem like you are helping a tree by piling mulch around it, but tree bark can actually be damaged by the conditions that mulch creates. Mulch against tree trunks can rot bark and cause trees to get fungal infections, because it creates damp humid conditions that are great for roots, but not good for bark. Remember when mulching, aim for a flat ring, not a heaped volcano.
It depends on the weather. If there has been plenty of rain in the last five days you don’t need to water them at all. If there has been no rain for a week or more we suggest watering them 2-3 times a week. One watering-can’s worth (5-10 litres) per tree should be enough. If Auckland’s water supply is looking good (you can check this here) and there are no water restrictions, you can water them as much as once a day if you feel really keen. We recommend watering in the evening if you can as this gives the water time to soak into the soil overnight before the sun comes up.
No, unless they are a pest tree species they will not be replaced. Our street trees belong to the Council and contribute to our urban canopy in many ways. All trees help support local bird life by providing food and shelter. No matter the species, our street trees are doing us good by cleaning our air, regulating temperatures and the water cycle and beautifying our streets. Don’t forget that just because you might not like a particular type of tree doesn’t mean other people in your street don’t love them.
Unfortunately not. Street trees are owned by the Council on behalf of the people of Auckland and they need to balance a number of conflicting interests so that all the required services can function properly on our streets. While trees definitely don’t look their best when they have been trimmed around power lines, this is a compromise between the benefits they bring and power lines being able to access everyone’s homes. If trees aren’t trimmed around lines branches may break in storms and take out power lines, causing a loss of power to residents.
You don’t need to feed your adopted tree. If you do have a worm farm or a compost then you could give your adopted tree some well-diluted worm tea or a little compost over its roots, with mulch over the top. We would only recommend doing this once every three months if you do choose to do so, as too many nutrients (as well as undiluted nutrients) can burn tree roots and may do more harm than good. Water is best!
Mulching really is best as it provides more benefits than protection from mower damage alone. If you really don’t want to, or can’t mulch for whatever reason then you can trim the grass around tree trunks by hand using scissors, so mowers don’t need to mow right up against the base of the tree. We do not recommend spraying around your street trees to keep grass down as the herbicide can damage the trees.
No. Street trees are public assets owned by Auckland Council. Caring for them is voluntary and helps to enhance our local environment, but it does not give you rights over the tree. Think of it as a very small public park in front of your house that you are helping to care for.