Cape Town - As part of the City’s broader winter risk reduction mitigation measures, the Recreation and Parks Department has specialist teams on standby to respond to any tree-related emergencies caused, or aggravated, by adverse weather conditions.
From fallen branches to dangerous trees, the emergency tree teams are equipped with the necessary tools and experience to ensure the safety of both people, and property.
The after-hours teams are composed of horticultural staff whose ‘day jobs’ include routine maintenance of parks, verges and greenbelts in depots throughout the city, as well as the use of heavy machinery for tree removal.
They focus on trees that have fallen, or caused damage or obstruction to public buildings or property.
Where trees on private property fall over and block a public road or facility, tree emergency teams only take the required measures to make the path safe and accessible.
The expense of cleaning the tree debris will then be for the ratepayer’s account.
During May, after-hours standby teams responded to nine callouts of incidents where trees fell over, causing damage to infrastructure or blocking roadways.
Areas with the highest number of tree-related incidents include Pinelands, Vredehoek, Camps Bay and Bishopscourt.
The most recent incident, occurred just after 6 am on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, when a 12-metre pine tree fell over, blocking traffic on Philip Kgosana Drive into the CBD.
The City’s Traffic Service closed the road, as teams worked quickly to remove the debris.
Mayco Member for Community Services and Health, Patricia Van der Ross, noted that, “fallen trees or branches do not only pose a serious risk to personal safety or property, but they can also knock out power lines and other infrastructure, causing outages and other potential risks. And, let’s not forget the impact on traffic where fallen trees block roadways, as we saw on Philip Kgosana Drive recently.
“So when viewed in this context, the role that our standby teams fulfil is incredibly critical, and often under very trying circumstances, mid-storm.
“I’m incredibly grateful for their efforts and I ask that our residents do their bit to keep tree emergencies to a minimum this winter,” said Van der Ross.
Residents are encouraged to work with the City by doing the following:
Tree inspections: Winter is the ideal time to inspect deciduous trees. While there are no dense leafy crowns, it is easier to inspect tree branches.
Major pruning: Winter is an ideal time to prune. The public is urged to refrain from ‘topping’ trees. Topping is cutting back a tree to a predetermined crown limit, and it is not a recommended pruning practise. Topping can lead to branch dieback, decay, and unstable sprout production from the cut ends, resulting in a potentially hazardous situation once the sprouts become larger and heavy.
Be vigilant for PSHB: Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) has been identified in Cape Town and poses a major danger to many of our tree species.
For more information, visit https://www.capetowninvasives.org.za
“Although we maintain our trees to the best of our ability, we cannot always predict when a tree, or part of a tree will fail. We therefore urge residents to keep the City’s emergency number on hand.
“Horticultural teams will ensure that tree maintenance and inspections continue, and address immediate and noticeable hazards,” added Van der Ross.
Tree emergencies should be reported to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre by dialling 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.
The use of this line of communication is exclusively for emergencies where lives or properties are at risk, and should not be used for routine maintenance.