Stay Informed

Where to go … to be in the know

TreeKeepers aims to raise awareness around the value of trees and ways to safeguard them.

These resources will help you find out how.

If you have suggestions for useful inclusions, do please send them our way

RESOURCES

Plant Smart / A Guide to Choosing the Right Tree for your Garden

Indigenous Tree List – courtesy Happy by Nature

Management of Mature Trees in Open Spaces / Friends of Constantia Greenbelts

Management Protocol / Invasive Shot-Hole Borer (PSHB) University of California (UCCE)

Gums & Bees / A roadmap booklet to help South Africans protect and grow forage resources for honey bees, & understand why Eucalyptus trees are vital for the beekeeping and agricultural industries

SANBI’s Fact sheet on Eucalypts for honey bees.
(SA National Botanical Institute)

Creating a Tree Map / A case study on how creating a tree map brings us closer together

NEMBA/ All categories of regulations & what to do about them

CARA/ Regulations divide invasive alien plants into three categories & instruct how to control them

TOOLS & APPS

iNaturalist
This application is a tool to help you record, share and discuss your ‘green’ observations

Tree Plotter / GTIMS
GTIMS is a Geographic Tree Inventory Management System – a tool to understand, manage, plan and budget the efficient maintenance and expansion of an arboricultural asset

LiDAR: Light detection and ranging data
Space images propel Cape Town’s urban forest dream towards reality

The Helliwell System
Is used by the City of Cape Town. It helps calculate the financial benefits of a tree.
It allocates point scores under a number of different factors such as tree size, life expectancy, suitability to setting etc.
These scores combine to give an overall comparative score for a tree or woodland, and attach a value by use of a monetary conversion factor

REGULATIONS

NEMBA – The National Environmental Biodiversity Act: South Africa – Listed Invasive Species: A5 Booklet

List of Protected Tree species in terms of the National Forests Act 84 of 1998, Regulation no. 1602 of 23 December 2016: Annexure A

City of Cape Town’s List of Champion Tree species
in terms of the National Forests Act 84 of 1998: Annexure B

Regulations regarding Development
in terms of Section 38(1) of the National Heritage Resources Act 25 of 1999: Annexure C

List of NEMBA Category 1a
Trees to be removed and destroyed immediately in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004: Annexure D

City of Cape Town’s list of Target Trees for Removal: Annexure F

City of Cape Town’s Guidelines for Species Selection: Annexure G: Pg 1;
Annexure G Pg 2; & Annexure G: Pg 3

List of CARA Category 1
Trees to be removed and destroyed immediately in terms of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act (CARA) 43 of 1983: Annexure E

GUIDELINES

CITY OF CAPE TOWN:
Green Infrastructure Programme /
Best Practice Guidelines: TREES (for entire download)
Guideline 1: Certain trees may not be removed without prior authorisation
Guideline 2: Protect existing trees, especially significant
or mature ones
Guideline 3: Plant as many trees as possible
Guideline 4: Ensure good tree maintenance
Guideline 5: Ensure appropriate tree planting
Guideline 6: Consider transplanting instead of felling
Guideline 7: Do not trench/build/excavate near trees
Guideline 8: Ensure protection on construction sites
Guideline 9: Ensure effective control of invasive alien species to ward off the threats they pose

Tree Mangement Policy
highlights the work to care for trees undertaken by the City Arborist, Altus de Wet, Parks & Recreation Department, & to follow: The Urban Forest Management Plan that sets out the City’s intended framework / stratgegies

FAQs-Eucalypts & Water-Use
Understanding how much water is used by trees, and also how adaptives trees are, courtesy Sappi

Heritage Resource Management Brochure
City of Cape Town guideline explains heritage resources; the protection and management mechanisms for them

Climate Change Strategy
City of Cape Town action framework document

Links

LOCAL

ACDI / The Africa Climate and Development Initiative is a university-wide initiative at the University of Cape Town which supports collaborative research and training in climate change and development

Arderne Gardens in Claremont has the finest collection of exotic trees in South Africa, where six are Champion Trees. Join a guided tour the first Saturday of a month

BHL / The Biodiversity Heritage Library works collaboratively to make biodiversity literature openly available to the world as part of a global biodiversity community. BHL also serves as the foundational literature component of the Encyclopedia of Life

Cape Arboriculture Association is an association of Cape-based arborists initiated in Oct 21

CAP / The Climate Action Partnership is a alliance of South African environmental NGO’s that recognise that climate change is not just an environmental challenge, but a political, social and economic challenge. They can help advocate for the reduction of green house gas emissions and the protection of the country’s valuable natural resources.

The Dendrological Society promotes the study, protection and propagation of trees and tree-dominated ecosystems as a contribution to effective environmental conservation and improvement in South Africa

EWT / The Endangered Wildlife Trust works through specialised programmes across southern and East Africa that fall under 3 key strategic pillars: Saving species, conserving habitats, and benefitting people

Greenpop plants trees, greens communities and empowers environmental stewards through forest restoration, urban greening, food gardening, and environmental awareness projects across Sub-Saharan Africa

Kloof Conservancy promotes environmental awareness and conserves Kloof’s outstanding natural heritage

SALI / SA Landscapers Institute
is currently the only SA standards body, national representative & voice for landscaping professionals

SouthSouthNorth assists governments, the private sector and research institutions in understanding the economic, social and environmental choices that climate change presents

weADAPT is a collaborative platform on climate change adaptation issues. It allows practitioners, researchers and policy-makers to access credible, high-quality information and connect with one another

WESSA / Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa is a South African NGO with a mission to implement high impact environmental and conservation projects that promote public participation in caring for the Earth

WWF/ World Wildlife Fund works to look after our natural resources — oceans, land and wildlife — so we can continue to benefit from food, water and a healthy climate

INTERNATIONAL

Actrees / Alliance for Community Trees
US network of community-based organizations dedicated to improving the livability of their towns and cities through planting and caring for trees

Audubon Society
US conservation society that protects birds and the places they need throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation

Earthwatch
UK environmental charity with science at its heart that drives the change needed to live within our means and in balance with nature. It connects people with the natural world, monitoring the health of our natural resources and informing the actions that will have the greatest positive impact

Friends of the Urban Forest
Helps individuals and neighborhood groups plant and care for street trees and sidewalk gardens in San Francisco.
This “green infrastructure” improves the city by beautifying neighborhoods, cleaning the air, and reducing polluted stormwater runoff

ISA / The International Society of Arboriculture
Promotes the professional practice of arboriculture and fosters a greater worldwide awareness of the benefits of trees – through research, technology, and education

Trees Are Good
Provides the public with educational information about the benefits of trees and how to properly care for trees in the urban environment

Trees Forever
Connects people to the US environment through the planting and care of trees, prairie, urban forests, rural lands and other natural areas

Trees for the Future
Works closely with farmers across Sub-Saharan Africa to establish Forest Gardens – planting 50+ species of trees, dozens of shrubs, fruit trees, and 12+ vegetables on a typical farm

Trees for Life – Australia
Community organisation that delivers conservation, revegetation, community engagement and training programs and services.
It protects landscapes, raises awareness about nature and empowers people to take action

Trees for Life – UK
Works with a broad range of organisations to deliver forest restoration and rewilding in the Scottish Highlands

Woodland Trust
Creates new woodland in the UK by mobilising communities, landowners and volunteers to get trees in the ground.
It campaigns to stop the irreversible destruction of ancient woodland and unnecessary loss of trees from cities.
It restores ancient woods with irreplaceable ecosystems that have been damaged by non-native planting and invasive species