More than 100 trees at Perth Zoo felled by tiny pest

Perth Now

02-07-2025

A bitter argument has broken out in State Parliament as questions mount over the trail of damage left behind by the shot hole borer and whether it could have been stopped.
Labor MP Cassie Rowe called Nationals MP Lachlan Hunter 'rude', as he interrupted a response to ask whether 'gag orders' were imposed on local governments.
'Seriously? The member is so arrogant he will not even listen to members,' Ms Rowe said.
She later accused Mr Hunter of 'mansplaining', during questions over sheep numbers and the impact of the Federal Government's looming live export ban on an electronic tracing system.
'This is just a soliloquy from the member,' Ms Rowe said.
'You're just mansplaining to us and there is no relevance to this.'
The extent of devastation inflicted by the invasive beetle was earlier revealed in Budget estimates, with officials confirming 115 trees had be cut down at Perth Zoo, 99 trees were felled at Kings Park and 15 trees lost on Rottnest island.
Another 220 trees have been lost in metropolitan parks, including Herdsman Lake. The polyphagous shot-hole borer has been wreaking havoc, forcing the mass cutting of some of the city's favourite canopies. Pia Scanlon Credit: Pia Scanlon / TheWest
'A lot of those were very small trees, but nonetheless any tree is a loss,' Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions director-general Stuart Smith told Parliament on Tuesday night.
'Some were substantial trees, so those ones are being replaced. A bit like in the other locations, they are being replaced with natives where appropriate.'
In total, more than 4000 trees have been removed as a result of the shot-hole borer with the majority of those on residential land.
Perth Zoo said the 115 trees lost to the borer are a small percentage of the site's tree canopy and a remediation program is being put in place.
'Perth Zoo's tree population is in excess of 1700,' DBCA director Danielle Henry said.
This does not appear to be a silver bullet, but we will continue to try different technologies.
'Our gardens are as loved by the people of Perth as our animals. It's an urban city oasis . . . The State Government has provided funding for Perth Zoo to secure mature tree stock.'
Department officials told a Budget estimates hearing that a tree replacement program at Perth Zoo is 'going well' and that the rate of tree loss has slowed, though that is likely only a temporary reprieve.
'That may also be partly due to the time of year, because the polyphagous shot-hole borer does not cope particularly well in colder climates, so the spread is not so high at this time of the year,' Mr Smith said.
He conceded chemical treatments have not worked.
'None of them have yet been proven successful,' Mr Smith said.
'This does not appear to be a silver bullet, but we will continue to try different technologies.'
The Opposition has accused the Cook Government of being slow to react, after it was confirmed WA will transition to a 'management' strategy instead because eradication is no longer 'technically feasible'.
'They didn't listen and now they've raised the white flag,' Liberal leader Basil Zempilas said on Wednesday.
'This is a biosecurity disaster of their making. They've spend tens of millions of dollars of taxpayers' money to no avail. The result is that Perth has lost thousands of trees including mature trees in iconic locations.
'And local governments are left holding the baby, trying to desperately control this pest.'
Mr Zempilas repeated calls for Agriculture minister Jackie Jarvis to be sacked for 'mishandling' the issue.
In Parliament on Tuesday night, Nationals MP Kirrilee Warr pressed the Government on when the biosecurity risk was first identified, but parliamentary secretary Kim Giddens couldn't provide a date.
'I do not have that exact level of detail,' she said.
'I would hesitate to even give an approximate. It is a question the member could consider putting on notice.'
A $150 rebate for households to plant trees is part of plans to boost Perth's tree canopy, but no date has been set to roll that out.
'We are very close to launch,' Mr Smith said.