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Street Trees

The City of Whittlesea manages over 137,000 trees throughout the municipality. Each year, we also plant thousands of new trees in our streets, parks and reserves as we work towards our goal of increasing the amount of trees and green cover in our municipality by 20 per cent by 2040.

Trees and green cover are highly valued by our community and there are many reasons why trees are important to us all.

Not only do they have a positive impact on the liveability of our neighbourhoods, they also play a vital role in creating a sustainable environment and helping us combat the effects of climate change.

Increasing the number of trees and percentage of ‘green cover’ in our municipality by 2040 is a key goal of our Greening Whittlesea – City Forest Strategy and will deliver a range of benefits for residents, the local wildlife and the wider environment. These include:

  • much needed shade in urban areas
  • contributing to neighbourhood character and the look and feel of the street
  • reducing air pollution in an efficient and cost-effective way
  • providing habitat for native wildlife
  • enhancing people’s health and wellbeing.

Reduction of temperature - the shade provided by trees can have a significant effect on reducing the urban heat island effect – that is, it can help cool areas of the municipality that are warmer than surrounding areas due to the build-up of housing and human activity. Shade from trees can reduce daytime temperatures between 5 and 20 degrees Celsius.

Physical and mental wellbeing – trees deliver a range of well-documents health and wellbeing benefits. This can include providing shady corridors and green spaces to encourage outdoor activity and social interactions. Spending time outdoors and in nature can also reduce stress and increase mental wellbeing in people.

Providing more oxygen – the leaves on trees absorb the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the air.

Reducing air pollution – large healthy trees absorb 60-70 times more air pollution than smaller trees.

Providing habitat for wildlife – trees, their branches and any hollow found in their trunks provide important habitat for native wildlife, including birds and possums.

Reducing soil erosion – trees can help reduce soil erosion in several ways. They can hold soil in place with their roots, intercept the force of raindrops, increase soil organic matter, increase soil moisture and act as windbreaks. These can all help prevent oil erosion caused by wind and rain, maintain healthy soils, and support sustainable land management practices in Australia.

Increased property values - property values of homes in leafy streets are typically higher than those in non-treelined streets.

Our Greening Whittlesea – City Forest Strategy, that was developed together with the community, sets out a clear plan for the protection, growth and management of the City’s trees and green cover as part of our commitment to the Whittlesea 2040 community goals of sustainable environment, liveable neighbourhoods and connected communities.

A greener City of Whittlesea will deliver a range of benefits for our residents, our fauna and our wider environment.

Council is committed to increasing the number of trees and green cover across the City of Whittlesea by 20 per cent by 2040. This added green cover will reduce the risk of extreme heat and make our open spaces cooler, while providing inviting places for residents to get active, connect with nature and connect with each other.

We all have a role to play in greening our neighbourhoods. Almost 20 per cent of the land in the City of Whittlesea is non-Council land (private property, or other government agencies). While Council plants thousands of trees each year in streets, open spaces and community facility settings, residents can also play a part in increasing the number of trees and green cover across our municipality by:

  • looking after any trees on your property, including any trees you have on your nature strip
  • if you don’t have a nature strip tree, request a new tree to be planted
  • protect trees from damage by avoiding activities that may harm them, such as driving over tree roots or reporting any instances of vandalism or damage to trees
  • plant more trees on your property
  • get involved in tree planting activities. Council holds a number of tree planting days throughout the year – keep an eye on our events page for upcoming events.

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