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The City of Cape Town has issued a list of 28 recommended trees for those residents who want to replace trees on their properties that are infested with the invasive Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) beetle. Planting an indigenous tree or non-invasive exotic tree, suitable to our climate and the specific site, will assist in mitigating the impact of the beetle best on Cape Town’s urban forest. To date, the borer beetle has been sighted in the Helderberg area, and most recently in Newlands, Rondebosch, Mowbray, Claremont, Kenilworth and in Observatory along the Liesbeek River. Read more below:

The list of recommended trees includes indigenous and mostly locally indigenous species, that are not reproductive host trees, meaning to date, the PSHB has not been sighted in these trees. The non-invasive exotic trees on the list are allowed in urban areas, such as residential gardens.

‘These are the trees that residents can plant on their private properties to replace the PSHB infested trees that must be removed to stop the spread of the pest to other trees and areas. We will update the list of recommended trees continuously as we learn more about the PSHB and the trees it targets. I encourage residents to go online and use the list; it includes the trees’ scientific and common names.

‘On the City’s website residents will also find the Tree Best Practice Guideline to determine which trees are best suited to their properties. The guideline provides useful information about the sites best suited to the trees, whether they can withstand strong wind and sun, their size when fully grown, whether they’re more a shrub than a tree, and whether they’re slow or fast growing. 

‘For more information on these trees, I also recommend asking advice from your local nursery or landscaper. Then I ask residents to please be aware of the underground services infrastructure on their properties, and to take this into account when planting trees to prevent root systems from damaging any main and sewer lines.

‘If we plant trees to replace those we lose in coming months and years, we can limit the impact of this devastating pest on Cape Town’s urban forest,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews. 

The City’s Tree Best Practice guideline provides more information about trees suitable to Cape Town’s climate, and is available on the City’s website at: https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/Green_Infrastructure_Programme_%20Trees.pdf. 

Last month the City started removing infested trees from public land along the Liesbeek River corridor, near the N2 highway and Liesbeek Park Way. To date, 40 trees have been removed with chainsaws and wood chipping machines, and the beetle infested biomass transported to an appropriate site for incineration.

What to look out for and symptoms of infested trees:

Branch dieback – cracks on the branch; discoloured leaves; dry and leafless branches; branch break-off revealing webs of galleries filled with black fungus

Gumming – blobs of goo coming out of the bark; oozing of liquid and gum from the beetle holes

Entry and exit holes – very small holes on the bark of the tree, the size of a sesame seed (2mm); shotgun-like scars developing around the holes

Staining – brown or dark stains on the bark of the tree

How to report PSHB beetle sightings

Online, at www.capetown.gov.za/InvasiveSpecies

Call the City of Cape Town’s Invasive Species Unit on 021 444 2357, Monday to Friday, from 07:30 to 16:00

Send an email to: invasive.species@capetown.gov.za

What to do with infested trees:

• Chip the tree, place the infested material in refuse bags, seal it and put these in direct sunlight for at least six weeks 
• Dump the chips in your compost heap as the heat build-up will kill the beetle
• Burn infected wood at appropriate incineration facilities
• Seek assistance from trained and equipped service providers with sound knowledge of PSHB
• Do not move plant/tree material/firewood outside of areas where PSHB has been confirmed to be present to other areas
• Do not transport any form of green waste in open vehicles, cover it with sail covers even if no PSHB has been identified as such green waste.
• Clean tools and equipment used to trim/cut/prune plants

Do’s and don’ts:

Do not move any plant or tree material from areas with confirmed cases of PSHB, such as Somerset West, Newlands, Kenilworth, Mowbray, Rondebosch, Observatory and Wynberg

When handling plant material, inspect the tree for PSHB symptoms

Clean gardening and other tools before and after use and disinfect vehicles used to transport green waste

Transport green waste in closed and sealed bags, or cover the back with a sail cover

Avoid routes passing through areas with PSHB infested trees

Buy firewood where you are going to use it

Don’t fall for fake remedies. There is no known cure as yet

The City will try its best to respond within 10 working days to verify a reported sighting. However, the response time will depend on the number of sightings reported.

Caption: The City of Cape Town has issued a list of 28 recommended trees for those residents who want to replace trees on their properties that are infested with the invasive Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) beetle. Planting an indigenous tree or non-invasive exotic tree, suitable to our climate and the specific site, will assist in mitigating the impact of the beetle best on Cape Town’s urban forest. The list will be continuously updated.

List of recommended plants:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/uxy8sxeqaoitnb2/Recommended-Trees-to-plant.png?dl=0

Issued by The City of Cape Town