Once-green SA landscape now 'barren' in efforts to stop pest

A once-green landscape across Adelaide's north-eastern suburbs is being transformed with almost 5,000 pine trees removed in an effort to stop the spread of an invasive pest.Giant pine scale is an insect that sucks sap to slowly drain trees of moisture and nutrients, eventually killing them.Authorities say removing infected trees, along with surrounding susceptible trees, is currently "the only scientifically agreed" way to manage the outbreak.But local residents are critical of the large-scale removal, saying the loss of mature trees had stripped their neighbourhoods of shade, changed the landscape and destroyed important wildlife habitat.For Highbury resident Simon Roocke, the pine trees behind his home were a major part of the area's charm."The trees came down just before winter this year," he said."Part of the appeal of this place was the trees up the back, they were beautiful, they gave us some amazing shade in the summertime."Now it's gone and the hill looks the worse for it."Before: Boundy Road at Highbury in April 2023.. . After: The same road in September 2025 after the removal of pine trees. (Google Street View). .Instructions: Use left and right arrow keys to control image transition Before and after imagesSLIDE Boundy Road at Highbury in April 2023. / The same road in September 2025 after the removal of pine trees. (Google Street View)Mr Roocke's home now backs onto a largely cleared hillside, with the once-established canopy gone."We raised a lot of issues regarding the stability of the hill now that the trees are gone, because it is a significant hill there but at this point it has happened and we'll have to deal with it," he said.Mr Roocke said he also worried about the practical impact of the lack of trees, particularly the loss of shade."Our daughter has just moved out but her bedroom was out the back and within the first few weeks she noticed her bedroom was a lot hotter," he said."Naturally we're going to have to be using more air-conditioning."Greg Atkins shows the view of tree stumps from his back fence at Highbury. (ABC News)Further along the affected area, resident Greg Atkins said the scale of the clearing left parts of his neighbourhood appearing barren.Mr Atkins said residents were told the revegetation project would include thousands of replacement plants, but felt the effort had fallen short behind his property."We were told there were three and a half thousand plants to be put in. They must've run out when they got to our place," he said.He hoped the government would continue its replanting efforts to fill the space near his back fence."Otherwise, it's going to be barren hillside with weeds," he said.Loss of wildlife habitatCommunity advocate Sonia Blackwell said the loss of mature pine trees raised questions about the impact on local wildlife.She said the trees provided important habitat and protection for a range of species."We have lost a lot of habitat for our red-tailed black cockatoos, for our koalas, for all of our wildlife that use those trees as habitat and weather protection," she said.Sonia Blackwell says the removed trees provide an important habitat for wildlife. (ABC News)Ms Blackwell said she was "purely outraged" about the management of giant pine scale, describing the impact on local residents as significant."Residents are selling their homes," she said."Houses are filling up from displaced wildlife. One lady had to remove three snakes in one week from her yard."Infected trees 'will die'The sap-sucking insects continue to be detected in the area, with ForestrySA chief executive Nathan Paine confirming another 19 trees had been found to have giant pine scale at Highbury and Hope Valley.Elliston Reserve, on the corner of Lower North East Road and Awoonga Road, had its pine trees felled to control giant pine scale. (ABC News: Carl Saville)He said those trees were being felled, along with others within a 50-metre buffer zone."Those trees are being removed around the reservoir, the aqueduct and along Lyons Road," Mr Paine said."The reality is that this is a sap-sucker, once the tree is infected it will die."Mr Paine said future detections of the pest were also anticipated.Pine trees have been cleared at the Hope Valley Reservoir. (ABC News: Carl Saville)A state government spokesperson said it had contributed $5.4 million towards the response to giant pine scale since 2023 and another $5.5 million for revegetation and restoration works."Presently, the removal of impacted trees and surrounding susceptible trees is the only scientifically agreed response available to manage giant pine scale," they said. "While we recognise the significant impact that removing mature trees has on local communities, these measures are critical to reduce the risk of further spread."The spokesperson said the removed trees would be replaced with native species that are not susceptible to the pest.