Trees on Council land

Street trees are vital to the urban character of our neighbourhood, including trees in our parks. We can advise you on tree plantings and arrange damaged or diseased trees to be inspected.

Individual tree planting occurs every year. Residents who require a tree for their nature strip should contact us.

If you are enquiring about the maintenance of street trees or tree maintenance in parks contact our Customer Service team on 03 8470 8888
or at mailbox@darebin.vic.gov.au

Damaged street trees

Have you noticed a damaged, dead or diseased tree on your neighbourhood or in a local park?

Tell us the location of the tree and we'll arrange an arborist to inspect the tree within 5 working days.

After inspection, a card will be left in your letter box advising when and what action will be taken.

Report a damaged tree

Watering street trees

Under the Yarra Valley Water Drought Response Plan, street tree watering with a mobile water tanker has an exemption under every stage of water restrictions. Darebin has obtained the relevant exemption to continue the program.

Residents are encouraged to water newly planted street trees in accordance with current restrictions. Mature drought tolerant trees should not require additional water unless during times of extreme drought in which case residents are advised to use grey water.

Tree planting

Trees are an investment in the future vitality and value of our streets and community. Once established, the new trees provide additional canopy cover for our footpaths and roads, helping to keep them cooler in summer. Tree lined streetscapes also provide habitat to local fauna, helping reduce the impact urbanisation has had on our ecosystem, while revitalising our neighbourhoods with native foliage.

We are taking into consideration any and all impacts a tree would have on its immediate area, because the safety and comfort of residents is always Darebin’s top priority.

Tree planting program

We plant approximately 1200 trees per year as part of the street tree planting program.

Following a request for a tree to be planted on a residents’ nature strip, our Inspections Arborist will inspect the location to determine if the location is suitable for planting.

The tree is then added to the program to be implemented in the planting season, which is during May to October every year. All available spaces are usually planted as part of this process.

The RAPID planting program, which planted 6000 trees over two years (2019—2021) enabled us to plant all available opportunities in streetscapes and allocate street tree themes for all streets.

Many site requirements are taken into account when selecting an appropriate tree species to plant, with the ‘right tree for the right spot’ method used in accordance with our urban forest strategy(PDF, 2MB). Read more about site requirements for street trees(PDF, 108KB).

Caring for your new street tree

Darebin City Council has approximately 65,000 street trees planted throughout the municipality. We have intentional establishment and maintenance programs in place but also rely on the goodwill of local residents to assist us with their care.

Council has a two-year establishment program for all newly planted trees which includes watering, staking, mulching and weeding. The trees are then maintained as part of our proactive maintenance program which works on a two-year cycle.

The following are some helpful hints on how to care for your street tree.

Tree pruning plan and schedule

We have a two-year cyclic program that prunes all street trees to ensure compliance with electric lines clearance regulations, maintain the health and aesthetic appeal of the Darebin's tree population. All street trees are pruned to regulated clearances from electrical lines, road and pathways.

Our approved electrical line clearance management plan(PDF, 1MB) is available for viewing.

View the tree pruning schedule and map(PDF, 122KB)

Street tree species selection process

Darebin Parks has a focus on planting the right tree for the right location. This means a mixture of native / indigenous and exotic trees are planted to create species diversity, sustainability and resilience in our street tree population.

Site characteristics such as available growing space, proximity to powerlines, vehicle sightlines and pedestrian movement are just a few of the factors taken into consideration when selecting a particular species for each street. Additional factors such as preferred soil types, root system morphology and previous performance are also considered when selecting tree species for streetscapes.

View our considerations for tree planting(PDF, 123KB) for more detail and read about the street trees species palette(PDF, 165KB).

Shading and solar panel access

Shading is often a desirable service provided by street trees helping to reduce the heat island effect. In some cases, shade can conflict with other elements of a street. We receive tree removal requests because shade from a street tree conflicts with their solar panels, vegetable garden or entry garden. A tree will not be removed solely because of the shade it casts on private property.

Each request for tree removal will be assessed on its individual merits.

More information

Customer service
Call: 03 8470 8888
Email: mailbox@darebin.vic.gov.au