Being green and leafy is an important part of Glen Eira’s character. We’ve increased the number of street trees from 30,000 to more than 50,000 over the past 20 years. Each year we replace around 1,000 street trees and plant 1,000 more in vacant sites. In addition to this, we also undertake regular monitoring of tree health.
Street trees
When do you remove trees?
Trees are highly valued by the community therefore, before we decide to remove any tree, a qualified arborist assesses its health and any risks it poses. We take the decision to remove a tree seriously and any removal complies with our policy.
In accordance with the Street Tree Removal Policy (PDF, 245KB), we will only remove a street tree when:
- it is hazardous and poses an unacceptable risk to public safety or property (hazardous could mean one of several things, including the tree being close to death or structurally unsound)
- it has failed to thrive
- necessary works require removal of the tree and no other practical or affordable solution is available
- we need to accommodate a new vehicle crossover and no other alternative access exists (in this case the person applying for the crossover must pay for the tree’s removal).
We don’t remove trees because they drop fruit, nuts or leaves, as these are natural processes.
Once approved, tree removals often go through two stages:
- tree removal
- stump removal (no more than 20 days after tree removal).
What about trees and power lines?
Changes to State Government’s Electricity Safety Regulations 2015 increased the distance that we need to keep between trees and power lines.
To read more about how we comply with these regulations, visit our trees and power lines page.
How do you choose what species to plant?
Urban streets can be a harsh environment for street trees. What species we plant depends on a range of factors such as the size of the nature strip and street, drought tolerance, aesthetics, natural values, and durability. The overall mix and diversity of trees in the City is also considered.
We’ve identified preferred species for planting in our streets, with the aim of creating avenues of trees.
When and how do you plant trees?
We plant high-quality replacement trees in the first half of the next planting season, between April and June. This give trees the best chance to develop into healthy and attractive specimen.
We condition the soil and feed the tree to encourage growth, and follow up with a two-year maintenance program to help it thrive.
Do you always replace trees?
When we remove a tree from a nature strip, we always plant a replacement tree where possible. On the rare occasion that we don’t plant a replacement or we place it nearby, it could be because:
- the removed tree was too close to a driveway, an intersection or a road.
- we removed the tree to address risks such as blocked street signs or sight lines.
View our parks and street trees online map
Can I help?
You can help by watering trees over hot or dry periods. A bucket of water every four to five days will help the tree establish more successfully from December to March.
You can also top up mulch to about 10 centimetres deep, but please keep it 10 centimetres away from the tree trunk.
You’re not permitted to plant, prune or remove the trees on nature strips.
If you’re concerned about a tree, please report it to us and a qualified arborist will investigate.
