Tree planting
City of Melbourne plans to increase the tree canopy coverage in the municipality from 22 per cent to 40 per cent by 2040.
Trees are living organisms and age over time. However, not all trees grow in the same way. Trees planted in urban areas have to deal with harsher growing environments and more constraints than trees found in parks or in natural environments.
When selecting a tree for planting in an urban environment, it is important to consider the constraints it has to grow within. It is a priority that
the right tree is planted for the context of a location and the surrounding constraints.
Our draft Urban Forest Diversity Guidelines will ensure that the new trees we plant are most likely to survive. They are based on scientific criteria, taking into account age, species and health of trees across the municipality.
2012 tree planting season
This year, the City of Melbourne will plant 3,000 new trees around the municipality between April and October as part of its Urban Forest Strategy. We remain committed to the strategy’s target of having no more that 5 per cent of one tree species within the municipality and this year’s tree planting season will reflect that.
For more information on where trees will be planted, refer to our map of tree planting locations for 2012 (PDF, 432kb)
Residents will be notified when tree planting will occur in their streets. For more information on the 2012 tree planting season, please call the Urban Landscapes Branch on 03 9658 9658.
Diversity
The City of Melbourne now has a unique opportunity to redefine our city’s tree population to one that is resilient and healthy, providing maximum benefits well into the future.
The Urban Forest Strategy recommends that the municipal tree population be comprised of no more than five per cent of one tree species, no more than ten per cent of one genus and no more than 20 per cent of any one family. Melbourne has low diversity in its tree stock. Just three species – Plane, Elm and Red River Gum – make up almost 35 per cent of Melbourne’s trees.
A lack of diversity in plant species and age is putting our tree stock at great risk. Just as you would diversify financial assets, a diverse urban forest with many plant species and varying life expectancies reduces vulnerability and risk. Melbourne’s trees are highly vulnerable to disease. Myrtle Rust, a disease that has spread in Queensland, has the potential to infect and possibly kill more than 45 per cent of our trees.
Further Information