Nick Cook is the co-founder and Chairman of the WA Tree Canopy Advocates (WATCA), and he presented a very sobering picture of the state of our tree canopy in WA. WATCA was formed in 2022 as an umbrella group to support the various local organisations that were started about four years ago in Nedlands, South Perth and Melville, and it seeks to raise awareness generally and to provide guidance to the now 26 local groups that exist. Between 2011 and 2020 Perth lost a quarter of it’s tree canopy, which brought coverage down to 16%. It is thought that this has dwindled further to around 13%. Most of the degradation happens on private land, and yet WA is the only State in Australia which has no tree protection and no urban canopy target. WATCA’s aim is to get the State Government to take action by regulating tree removal, but thusfar any Scheme Amendments put forward by local councils have been rejected by Government! The Local Government Association has introduced a Local Planning Policy which is not as robust as a Scheme Amendment, but at least it doesn’t need Government approval to implement. Another huge problem is the polyphagous borer from SE Asia which attacks and kills trees, and the only solution at present is to fell the tree and reduce it to woodchips. So far 2,500 trees in Perth have met this fate, and early detection of the problem is of paramount importance if we are to get anywhere with this blight. This is of vital importance so that we can find a solution in the near future.