We depend on trees!
We all learnt so much more about the amazing benefits of our neighbourhood trees to our health and community, and what we can do to improve biodiversity. Watch Dr Greg Moore and Dr Judy Bush on our video highlights here and Chris Spencer and Amy Shaw video highlights here.
Huge thanks to our speakers Dr Greg Moore, Dr Judy Bush, Chris Spencer and Amy Shaw
“It was terrific to have four speakers at the Urban Forests event who had so much information to share with us about trees and biodiversity in the urban space”
Jenny Smithers, Lighter Footprints Convenor
Our speakers included:
- Dr Greg Moore, Senior Research Associate, Melbourne University, Burnley Campus – download slideset here
- Dr Judy Bush, Senior Lecturer, Urban Planning, Melbourne University – download slideset here
- Chris Spencer, Team Leader Urban Forestry, City of Boroondara – downloaded slideset here
- Amy Shaw, Coordinator Urban Biodiversity, City of Boroondara – download slideset here
“It was amazing seeing a packed room for the event which indicates the keen interest locals have for their community’s trees.”
Sarah B, Lighter Footprints Forests Working Group
The Forests working group campaigns for forest and urban forest protection, especially with allies and organises events and field trips. Join here!
Urban Forests Information Page
Thanks so much to Lighter Footprints Forests Working Group, and especially Ray Peck, for all their work in organising the evening, and for making the Urban Forests information page such a great place to learn more about the benefits of trees to our community and the actions we can all take to help protect and enhance urban biodiversity and tree canopy.
As well as the speaker slide sets (links above), you can scroll through event images and slides on our urban forests Facebook album for comments and expert links, and check out our thread on Bluesky for summary notes!
State of play
Urban forests are becoming more and more critical for biodiversity, the health of citizens, sequestering carbon and liveability (including aesthetics) in Boroondara given the State government’s density plans and the shrinking of tree canopy and backyard open space as a result of more units, larger homes and associated tennis courts, swimming pools and backyard paving.
As the Urban Forest event highlighted, Boroondara has an amazing variety of native flora and fauna including Krefft’s glider.
“A highlight of the Urban Trees event was the number of ways residents can help to protect and grow the tree canopy and biodiversity.”
Ray Peck, Lighter Footprints Forests Working Group
There are a number of prospective areas in Boroondara to create or expand the urban forest network such as the Anniversary Trail (Alamein Station to Ryeburne Avenue), environs of Hartwell Station, Frog Hollow Reserve near Willison Station and the Ferndale Trail especially between Glen Iris and Ferndale roads. Improving these corridors is also enhanced by converting nature strips to native plants to help link the biodiversity corridors.
The Urban Forests event highlighted the huge benefits for community health and well being – we learned more about protecting our neighbourhood trees and biodiversity
Our trees and urban biodiversity needs our help!
A highlight of the Urban Trees event was the number of ways residents can help to protect and enhance the tree canopy and biodiversity.
Residents can nominate significant trees or request new trees – two very satisfying activities.
The Boroondara Backyard Biodiversity Project 2025 is a gem. It provides workshops on how to turn your garden into a haven for animals. Participants receive landscape gardening advice from a landscape designer and even free native plants. Signing up for Boroondara’s Living for our Future e-news is a good way to stay in touch with biodiversity events.
The Urban Forests event could not have been such a success without the support of the Boroondara Councillors and staff, allied groups including Balwyn Rotary and Kooyongkoot Alliance and of course so many Lighter Footprints volunteers.
It was great to have the President and Secretary of the Victorian Forest Alliance, Sue Lewis and Nic Fox also in attendance.
The Balwyn North Rotary Nature Strip Program helps residents replace the grass with flowering native shrubs, grasses and groundcovers to attract bees, birds and butterflies! Our nature strips are a significant proportion of public land, and represent a real opportunity for improving biodiversity as well enhancing neighbourhood character.
The KooyongKoot Alliance (KKA) is comprised of over twenty Friends Groups working in the Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) catchment.
Lighter Footprints is very grateful for the support of Boroondara Councillors and staff for this community event organised by the Forests Working Group
Introduction from Ray Peck
The Forests Working Group has two main interests protecting native forests, and protecting and growing our urban forest. Ray Peck said “We’d love you to join our working group” – find out more here.
Acknowledgement and The Wurundjeri Trail
Ray acknowledged Boroondara’s First People and paid respects to the traditional owners – Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nations. “While many trees have been lost since settlement, some still stand. There are, in fact, ten known scar trees.”
Lighter Footprints acknowledges the leadership and custodianship of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nations. We support climate action within the principles of climate justice.
The Wurundjeri Trail near the Yarra River in Chandler Reserve developed with Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation offers a place to reflect on our history and connect with nature. There are six information signs – sign up for guided walks early as they book out very quickly. It is so good that Boroondara retains ten scar trees.
DEECA are burning precious hollow bearing trees
Ray continued “while logging in Victoria has been officially stopped, sadly, it continues in other guises.” As well as salvage logging and massive fire breaks, we are burning our tall trees at an unprecedented rate.
“Our native forest is still being harmed by a massive prescribed burning program several times larger than what has been logged in the last decade.”
Ray Peck, Forests Working Group
Ray introduced Victorian Forest Alliance President Sue Lewis and Secretary Nic Fox. The VFA is a forests protection peak body, bringing together 40 forest action groups across Victoria. involved in campaigns and research.
VFA: “Despite the official end of native forest logging in Victoria, our precious native forests are still under threat. We need your help to protect these forests from new and emerging threats: unscientific prescribed burning, inadequate environmental protection laws, and logged areas left as wastelands.”
Currently Warburton Environment has a court case against the Victorian government/DEECA for destruction of hollow bearing trees, and Ray urged us to support the case because of the massively destructive effect of the planned burns – “there’s a chimney effect magnifying the fire. And, a high proportion of them are killed.” Warburton Environment notes the migration of Vic Forests executives to DEECA.
“Many of these hollow bearing trees (HBT) are pre-colonial and have survived bushfires, logging and road building.”
Warburton Environment
Warburton Environment’s Nic Fox: “It’s outrageous that community groups are forced to take legal action to stop the Victorian Government killing endangered wildlife. Community groups shouldn’t have to continually fight their way through the legal system to make the government accountable to its own laws and policies.”
Adding to the Significant Tree Register
This map shows Boroondara’s significant trees, “identified as ‘significant’ because of their impressive size, age, rarity, ecological value, or cultural and historical significance”. Over a thousand trees are listed and protected, they can be on private property or public land, “but it’s up to the community to nominate them.”
The room applauded when Ray explained that the Lighter Footprints Forests Working Group had 44 trees successfully added to the register last year! Ray said “We believe there are several hundred more trees in Boroondara that will qualify as significant. We just have to nominate them. Another action that you could take when you’re out walking. Take a photo of the tree, then go to the website.”
You can nominate significant trees here.
Dr Greg Moore – Saving our Trees
Dr Greg Moore, Senior Research Associate from Burnley College talked about the battle to save our trees and what we can do to help. You can download his slideset here and watch again starting here.
Dr Greg Moore from Melbourne University’s School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, Burnley Campus talked about the life and death battle now underway to protect and preserve our slowly failing urban forests.
Boroondara could be better considered an urban woodland than forest, Dr Moore said, as a forest implies 30% tree canopy cover. Given pressure from development and lack of public space it would be very difficult for Boroondara to attain 30% percentage of tree canopy cover, however Boroondara residents do enjoy the many benefits of a greater tree canopy cover than residents from other less advantaged areas of Melbourne.
Dr Greg Moore says 30% is an arboricultural magic number – 30% tree cover is associated with major cultural and health benefits and this is the best coverage for property values. 30% cover should be our planning target.
The 3:30:300 rule for urban planning proposes that a person should be able to see three trees from their home in a neighbourhood with 30% tree canopy and live 300 m or less from treed green space.
Carbon neutrality – it is important to retain older trees
A tree should live for 50 to 100 years. Dr Moore said “there are major tree losses in the first 2 to 4 years when a tree is first planted, and quite often from some things that we can’t entirely control. It might be pests, vandalism, droughts, those sorts of things. But there’s another, significant spike in tree deaths after about 30 years. And that 30 years is almost always due to human activity, i.e. digging through their roots, development, removals and so on. Something that we can control, longer lifespans can be achieved.”
Dr Moore informed us that Germany is one of the leading countries for improving urban tree canopy cover. Later, Judy Bush suggested that this was because Germans had lost so many of their urban trees after the Second World War they more greatly valued their tree canopy in urban settings.
Tree lifespan
“If we want to get the best out of our trees, we want them living for 50 to 100 years, 150, 200, even better.”
Dr Greg Moore, Melbourne University
We should work hard to improve tree life span. Production, planting and maintenance all use energy and fossil fuels, “lots and lots of energy and other resources, including carbon, have been utilized in getting that train to that position. So if it dies in the first couple of years or after 30 years, that is an absolute tragedy. You need those trees to live longer.” Longer life spans vastly improve benefits to the community.
The closer they are to the city centre, the shorter tree life spans are. Ideally a tree should live for 50 to 100 years for maximum economic and carbon benefit.
“Given that trees take several decades to reach carbon neutrality we should work hard to improve tree life span!”
Sarah Hegarty, Lighter Footprints Committee
Selecting and maintaining trees
Do we have unrealistic expectations of trees? Urban trees are supposed to grow fast, be single trunked, tall but not too tall, stress tolerant and maintenance free. Not to mention root disturbance or shedding debris!
Urban trees are expected to tolerate a wide range of conditions, including restricted space and drought, reduce temperatures, increase biodiversity, improve our health, look good, and not break or drop limbs
“So we demand all of these things from our street trees and from our urban trees. And then, when they have the indecency to drop a few leaves, put a bit of a mess on the footpath, we don’t think of getting a broom and a rake, we think of getting the chainsaw and getting rid of the damn thing. It’s completely unrealistic.”
Dr Greg Moore, Melbourne University
Climate change, tree loss and the urban island heat effect
The benefits of urban forests are shared unequally in our society. The most disadvantaged suburbs are more impacted by the urban heat island effect (UHIE). In Melbourne’s north and north west, for example, higher UHIE correlates with shorter lives and poorer health.
Adelaide is the canary in the coal mine for climate crisis impacts with serious worries about 50°C temps, seriously accelerating tree loss, heat stress and human survival. 11% canopy loss in just a decade.
“You can go to Benalla or Euroa and the citizens there are fighting to preserve trees. How bloody bizarre is that? Now, if we don’t get this right at some stage, there will be an Ash Wednesday like heatwave, and I expect somewhere between 500 and 1000 people to die. And I don’t think I’m being callous or exaggerating in my concern.”
Dr Greg Moore, Melbourne University
Disadvantaged areas have poor access to treed open space which correlates with increased obesity, poorer mental and physical health and social issues. “These are matters that are really matters of life and death for these sorts of people, and they have a huge impact on the way people live in those suburbs.” Access to treed open space should be a human right for sustainable societies!
Treed open space offers major health benefits
Disadvantaged areas have poor access to treed open space which correlates with increased obesity, poorer mental and physical health and social issues. Access to treed open space should be a human right for sustainable societies.
Increased tree canopy correlates with a variety of better health outcomes including higher birth weights, better student outcomes, lower crime, quicker hospital recovery, increased stress resilience and longer life spans
“I doubt many people knew that babies born to women from higher tree canopy areas have higher average birth weight.”
Jenny Smithers, Lighter Footprints Convenor
Dr Moore mentioned a major study on the effects of greenness on women’s health in North America – lower heatwave mortalities, longer lifespans, higher birth rates of babies, better educational outcomes for the women’s children. “So these health benefits are enormous. And yet here we have the recurring theme of local government areas and local governments trying to maintain their canopy cover and on private space, front and backyards, trees disappearing at an enormous rate. And government that had reasonable canopy cover, over 30%, are now finding that they can’t maintain that cover because of state government planning allowances that see a very, very dense development and the loss of canopy.”
Tree cover is falling in our urban areas
Nearly everywhere in Australia tree cover is falling, mostly due to renovations, redevelopments and along roads, despite tree cover on public spaces remaining stable.
One relatively easy way to slow tree canopy decline is to review the over generous powerline clearing regime which is not needed for safety in low bushfire risk areas – witness SA’s approach.
Reviewing powerlines clearances would help increase tree coverage and improve neighbourhood character
Greg spoke passionately about the importance of appropriate tree pruning around low voltage power lines in LBRA’s ( Low Bushfire Risk Areas ) such as Boroondara. The line-clearing regulations were reviewed in 2024 and the clearing space around a line was reduced from 1000 mm to 300 mm but EnergySafe Victoria and subsequently the Government opposed the adoption of the amended regulation.
“What’s the risk of a bushfire in a low bushfire risk area from low voltage electricity? Zero. None. How do we know? Because they’ve been doing it that way in South Australia for over a decade? No bushfires, no more increases in outages. So it should have been adopted here.”
Dr Greg Moore, Melbourne University
You can see the massive loss from powerline clearing – our canopies are more valuable on our streets than in council mulch bins
“Aggressive line clearing results in unnecessary loss of urban tree canopy loss making the trees unsightly, potentially unsafe and reducing their important urban cooling benefits. It was pleasing to hear that Boroondara council officers and our Councillors are advocating for the regulations to be changed.”
Jenny Smithers, Lighter Footprints Convenor
Powerline clearing produces ugly butchered trees, massive canopy loss, and reduced resilience to climate change. The old regulations are not fit for purpose. Placing utilities underground would increase tree canopy, removed pruning costs and improve neighbourhood amenity and value.
“And finally, we could gain $1 billion in extra benefits from increased tree canopy, just from changing the law and clearing regulations. The regulations are no longer fit for purpose. Our government has missed a wonderful opportunity here, and I consider them to be negligent in not taking this step that is logical and sensible for the people of Victoria.”
Dr Greg Moore, Melbourne University
Although regulations are important we should remain flexible and look to balance health and community amenity against fire risk with continuous review.
“Around Latrobe University there are streets where powerlines are underground and there are the most beautiful big gum trees in the streets”
Astrid Judge
Your MP needs to hear your concerns about unslightly powerline clearing. Visit the Treenet website for more information!
An action you can take
Dr Moore recommended that if you are interested to learn more go to the Treenet website or Make Victoria Greener and let your local State MP know that you want the regulation amended.
Dr Judy Bush – Urban policy and tree protection
Dr Judy Bush, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, Melbourne University talking about urban planning policy and urban trees. You can watch Dr Bush talk starting here.
Dr Judy Bush asked, “Can policy protect urban trees?” Judy emphasised that policy has a very important role to play in protecting and retaining tree cover in the face of pressure from redevelopment.
Local planning regulations, zones, overlays and objectives sit under State provisions which are pretty general. Councils have more specific local provisions which vary from LGA to LGA. Some Councils do not even have registers for significant trees – something to take up when considering tree cover and health, health costs to the community, and longevity. Many Councils have planning overlays which include Environment Significance, Vegetation Protection and Significant Landscape overlays.
Not all local government areas have urban forest strategies or local legal protections, and over one third do not have registers for significant trees.
“Many councils in the metro area have significant tree registers, but actually again, they’re applied and and calculated differently. So some based on tree circumference, some of them recognize tree value based on their scientific, social, historic or aesthetic properties. So they can be different in different municipalities.”
Dr Judy Bush, Melbourne University
Boroondara currently does not use overlays as much as some neighbouring Councils [however, since the event, a community consulation has been launched asking for feedback on proposed overlays for significant and canopy trees. The Lighter Footprints Forests Working Group is developing response guidelines. The consulation closes September 18]. The Planning Scheme also has particular provisions relating to significant trees or vegetation, tree planting, permeability and proportion of built up area.
As well as State planning provisions, many Councils have planning overlays which include Environment Significance, Vegetation Protection and Significant Landscape overlays. We’re reminded that planning scheme consideration is only triggered by a development application.
Dr Bush said “there are a whole range of challenges and limitations in our planning schemes, not least that, you can get to know the planning scheme very well, and then there will be amendments that will absolutely change all those rules. So there have been recent amendments, related to multi unit development and apartment development activity centers, triggered in part by a focus on addressing the housing crisis.” The proposed Camberwell Junction Activity Centre is a good example.
Planning schemes provisions require enforcement and may be challenged with new development – some are not mandatory, merely discretionary, and may be overturned.
Changes to trees in a private yard may not fall under the planning scheme. Some changes may take years to get into the planning codes, and then end up being discretionary rather than mandatory.
Dr Bush asked us to consider that maybe a mature tree in your backyard is a better way to keep householders cool than a pool and a pool house and all the other built infrastructure that takes over backyards that we seem to aspire to rather than some mature trees.
“People often believe it’s a good idea to have that local law, but then believe it shouldn’t apply to them. And, I was shocked and horrified to read In the Age today that, the state government doesn’t believe the canopy cover targets apply to them either, because they’ve just cut down 34 mature trees in Albert Park to make way for more Grand Prix infrastructure.”
Dr Judy Bush, Melbourne University
Policy Integration
Although greening intersects with active transport policies, often they are seen as separate. Dr Bush commented “we know that during summer, if you want to get out there, and walk somewhere or ride somewhere, then tree canopy is going to be potentially life saving. So are we aligning our planning with urban forest?”
Tree canopy ties into active transport and health and wellbeing strategies and planning – for instance cooler streets improve health and reduce emissions through increased active transport – more information here.
Urban planning integrated with active transport policies can improve health outcomes – for instance planting shade trees along major cycle lanes
Bush and Tang measured the tree canopy coverage in City of Melbourne cycle lanes – many of the older routes had coverage over 40% (green), but some newer routes (purple) had practically no coverage. There was a round of applause for Judy’s call for Melbourne to integrate cycling and tree cover instead of taking a car-centric approach!
“The Australian architect Robin Boyd was brilliant in incorporating mature trees into his house designs.”
Astrid Judge
Urban forest, active transport, health and well-being policies may not be aligned in council plans. The best approach is one that combines tree protection policies, planning schemes, and local laws to set and enforce standards, but also reward good stewardship.
Policy success factors include good leadership, positive narratives, goals and targets. Tactics include alliances and community engagement while resourcing policy integration and operation. Reflexive learning is important from monitoring and evaluation. You can read Judy’s paper, The role of local government greening policies in the transition towards nature-based cities, here.
Good leadership, narratives and goals lead to more community support, more operational funding and then further improvement through reflexive learningDr Bush shared some great resources regarding the why, what and how of urban biodiversity including this marvellous playbook for urban biodiversity. The planting list (Play L.6) and Myths are particularly useful.
Chris Spencer – Boroondara’s Tree Canopy Strategy
Chris Spencer, the Team Leader for Urban Planning Forestry at the City of Boroondara, talked about Boroondara’s Tree Canopy Strategy which is supported by a two-year action plan – you can find out more here. Watch the video highlights here.
Chris Spencer explained that Boroondara’s tree coverage is falling, it’s currently at 25% and is under pressure from development
The Tree Canopy Strategy includes a difficult to reach target of 27% by 2040 with increased diversity – more species breadth, no species more than 10%, and better compliance with regulations.
Chris Spencer talked about the Boroondara tree coverage survey in 2022. “We worked out that it had just under 25%, that was done in early 2022. So it was before Northeast Link removed a whole lot of trees. And so we felt like we went down in that time frame. One of the things that we understood is that there were really significant constraints on what we can do. So after doing that analysis, we worked out we could probably get to about 27% canopy cover.”
“We need more space for trees on private property. We need more space for trees on public land as well. We need more diversity. We need a resilient forest. And there’s just increasing pressures from development.”
Chris Spencer, City of Boroondara
The City of Boroondara is advocating for new draft regulations with Victoria’s Planning Minister given the rather generous approach to tree pruning near powerlines that reduces coverage, and leads to poorer climate and health outcomes.
Chris Spencer said “So we’re trying to get a change to the regulations in relation to tree pruning around power lines. The Mayor has met with the State Minister. We’re trying to gather support from other councils to enact a change. And we are of the understanding that later this year, the new draft regulations will be out for public consultation.”
An action you can take
Whe the public consulation opens, we will need many voices from the community to support better regulations to protect our trees and our health.
The Tree Canopy Strategy includes a difficult to reach target of 27% by 2040 with increased diversity and better compliance with regulationsThe City of Boroondara’s two compliance officers are pretty busy. There are also three arborists and Boroondara is upping its game on data collection and community collaboration. Boroondara has seen improved compliance with tree planting permits. Nearly 2000 trees were planted on public land in the last financial year.
“It was lovely to hear shoutouts from the academic experts for Boroondara’s great tree team.”Sarah Hegarty, Lighter Footprints Committee
“When we issue a permit for tree removal, we ask for a tree to be planted. That tree that’s planted is protected until it’s mature and needs to be established to our satisfaction. So if you see it has been removed, if you see it is being poorly maintained, if you see it has died, tell us. And we can follow it up. And the same on multi-unit development sites. If you ever walk through a multi-unit development site where there’s more than one house on the block, typically we’ll ask for one tree in the front setback.
We have a landscape compliance officer that will go and check on the tree after the development is completed. But after one, two, three, four or five years, is it still there? If you notice it has gone, let us know and we can get it back in there.”
Chris Spencer, City of Boroondara
The Boroondara Council keeps a list of successful tree removal prosecutions which you can view here. There are now two compliance officers and three arborists working to make sure permits are complied with and replacement trees are planted, and that Council can plant more trees on public land, and tidy up after storms and look after community concerns and requests. There is also a powerlines bundling project where the lines are gathered together, really reducing the amount of pruning.
Council has added additional officers for compliance, planting and data collection
If you see a missing street tree, or a place where a new tree could be planted, report it to council here. The missing tree will then be added to the list for tree replacement. You can recognise trees that have been planted in 2025 as they have blue tips at the top of the stakes.
“One thing that you can do, if you’ve got space on your land, is plant a tree. We’ve got resources online to tell you what trees we think are appropriate, climate resilient, indigenous to the area, or have some kind of heritage connection to our community. If you’ve got a tree on your property, look after it. Get a qualified arborist to come and give you some advice. Give it some water, give it some mulch. And if you see space on your neighbour’s property, encourage them to plant a tree on their land.”
Chris Spencer, City of Boroondara
Take action!
How can we help? Firstly by planting and caring for trees, then by advocating for more tree coverage, informing the community about benefits and finally by informing Council about illegal tree removals.
“We need community action supporting tree planting and more protections.”
Robert Pettit
Amy Shaw – Boroondara’s Urban Biodiversity Strategy
Amy Shaw Boroondara’s Biodiversity Officer talked through Boroondara’s Urban Biodiversity Strategy 2024-2034 which was shared with the community last year. Amy reminded us that we need both trees and lower storey and ground cover vegetation to provide food and shelter for all of Boroondara’s living creatures. You can Amy again on YouTube here.
Amy Shaw, Coordinator Urban Biodiversity for the City of Boroondara talked about Boroondara’s biodiversity – current state, objectives, key actions and what we can do to help
Amy Shaw talked about the current state of biodiversity in Boroondara: “So the breakdown is about 240 animal species and about 280 plant species. And then we have, biodiversity sites that we manage in our biodiversity team. [The Biodoversity Sites Plan can be found in Appendix 2 of the Urban Biodiversity Strategy] The sites that we manage equate to about 62 hectares of land managed for biodiversity currently. And those sites are situated across the municipality. But in general, they tend to be more focused around our biodiversity corridors.”
Krefft’s gliders are also being actively managed on the Kew Golf Course. Challenges include, pests including indigenous pests, light pollution, domestic animals and of course climate change.
Boroondara has over 500 indigenous plants and animals with 62 ha managed for biodiversity. Key targets include increasing the area actively managed by one ha per year and facilitating community plantings of indigenous species
Strategic objectives include improving biodiversity on both private and public land through education and public engagement, together with good decision making based on scientific measurement. Key targets include increasing the area actively managed by one ha per year and facilitating community plantings of indigenous species, plus schools planting 5,000 new native plants per year. There are maps about where new areas can be added under active management and which year.
“The strategy helps us to plan what we’re going to do to improve and increase our biodiversity. If we can exceed the target, we will. We always want to do more.”
Amy Shaw, City of Boroondara
Objective one – protect and enhance biodiversity on public land
The strategy is broken up into four sections “The first one is that we will protect and enhance biodiversity on public land. So this is under council control, this is where our tech officers get their hands dirty on our biodiversity sites.”
“We’re improving the structure for our wildlife. So tree canopy cover is super important. But we’re also focusing on the mid-storey in the understorey, getting that structure right for a range of different wildlife spaces that we want to see in Boroondara.”
Amy Shaw, City of Boroondara
Objective two – improve biodiversity on private land through community engagement
“Our second objective is to focus around the community and get the community involved and passionate about, wildlife and biodiversity and native plants and animals”
“We want to change people’s hearts and minds so that people want to live in the biodiversity and see the benefits of that, and take pleasure in having a tree in their own backyard.”
Amy Shaw, City of Boroondara
Objective three – reduce land use and development impacts on biodiversity
The third objective we have is around reducing land use development impacts on biodiversity. “So getting trees and biodiversity on land with development happening, but also, private land. So land that we don’t control, for example, on golf courses or schools that we don’t have any control over.”
Objective four – make sure decision making is based on sound knowledge and up to date evidence
And the fourth objective is to ensure that we are “doing everything we can to make our decisions based on the right advice, the most up-to-date information, so that we’re not just, putting in a plan for no reason. We have a scientific basis as to why this species is appropriate for Boroondara and improving the biodiversity.”
“Pollinators need flowering herbs and bushes and our small birds need dense spikey bushes to protect them from the larger more aggressive birds and other predators. Small birds are vital to the health of our trees as they eat grubs and other pests in larger trees.”
Jenny Smithers, Lighter Footprints Convenor
Key actions include improved nature strip planting permit guidelines with more clarity, plant recommendations, and an easier process to get a permit, together with community education on biodiversity with schools outreach and educational materials in backyard biodiversity and weed management
Nature strip planting is getting easier with permit applications now online. “Soon, they will be automated so that people can have the guidelines online and click through them.”
“Yes, I agree that I’ll plant to this height. And I agree that I won’t have boulders that will be tripping hazards, those types of things. Once they click through that, they’ll get the permit automatically emailed to them. Here’s your permit. Please proceed. And people who are getting permits, we’re going to have promotion of this so that people can get incentives such as plant vouchers, so that we really encourage people to give us a go.”
Amy Shaw, City of Boroondara
How can we help?
Key actions we can do to support biodiversity include establishing a wildlife friendly garden at home, planting the nature strip with pollinator friendly natives, participate in citizen science programs and join a Friends group.
“We have our Backyard Biodiversity project, which runs like a short course in creating a wildlife garden. So people come and they get a few different workshops. Plus they get a visit from a landscape designer who comes to their home, looks at their garden, gives them advice, a list of plants they could plant, a little mud map of what they should do. Then they get to come to the Victorian Indigenous Nursery Cooperative which is in Fairfield, and pick up some free plants. It’s a great program.
Amy Shaw, City of Boroondara
Amy continued with key actions including Krefft’s glider management, monitoring and encouraged us to continue to plant for biodiversity and take advantage of Council’s programs and educative resources
“Maybe we need a nature strip competition!”
Astrid Judge
Audience Questions
The audience questions were presented by two Forests working group members, Sarah Brennan and Izzi Kerr.
Question One: Tree removal fines, are they too low to deter wrongdoing?
Fines are determined by the State Government. Each unit is $200, with a maximum of $4000 – nothing much to a developer!
The audience asked questions on topics ranging from inadquate fines for tree removal, impact of activity centres, to moonscaping and cat curfews
Question Two: Shot hole borer is now in Perth, what about here?
A short answer, nothing. We are relying on luck which is not looking good given that Perth is looking at control, not eradication – the eradication program has been judged as no longer possible. We should keep an eye on Adelaide as a bellwether!
Question Three: How much will activity centres be a threat to trees?
Not much impact in the centre, but the stretched out area will have impact on tree canopy. Of note – green space has hardly been mentioned in activity centre planning.
Dr Greg Moore commented that denser housing can be built without changing the ratio of developed housing to green space. However, we need to be conscious of the state government “passing the buck” to local govt to manage green space. This is only sparsely discussed in current planning documents!
Question Four: Follow up tree inspections
Does council do follow up inspections to make sure the requirement to replace trees is followed? Yes extensive checking is done. The City of Boroondara has funded a new compliance officer position. There are now inspections especially for multi story developments. The public are able to notify Council if there appears to be no replacements or if they have been removed or died.
Question Five: Boroondara is a knockdown leader!
How much does this reduce tree canopy? Is it measured? It is hard to retain trees with development. Urban areas are losing 1% per annum globally. We are worse, there are too many orange or red areas in Boroondara with bad tree loss. It is not just backyards but also front yards as well. Boroondara’s Urban Forest Strategy has great maps of canopy coverage change.
Dr Bush spoke about the changes in the areas around her childhood home with paving, swimming pools and development.
These aerial images show the changes between 2009 and 2025 – a huge loss of treed space to pools, paving and development
It would be so good to have education and promote “we all need a tree” – not “we need a swimming pool”!
Dr Greg Moore commented that Stonnington is an example with significant greenery loss in the backyards, even if front yards are green. Eltham has nearly 100% moonscaping over hundreds of developments.
“Tree canopy has the same beneficial impact as an air conditioner. Saves dollars, better quality air and more aesthetically pleasing.”
Robert Pettit
Question Six: Are there any studies about biodiversity in Boroondara and the possible influence of a cat curfew?
Amy Shaw responded that we don’t have much data but a variety of policies are being looked at by Council.
Question Seven: Why the startling increase in tree prosecutions?
We have new resources and more effort – at court, even the maximum fine is hardly a deterrent. But the conviction has personal legal implications, for instance being a director or with travel, plus we publicise the prosecution.
There seemed to be strong support from the audience for increeased fines and compliance efforts on tree removal. The trees-mulch-gut biome stat was a surprise
Question Eight: How to increase enthusiasm for trees?
Dr Greg Moore: People may not realise what great benefits trees give – we can share that sort of information, for instance publicising the large health benefits. As an example it was hard to comply with covid lockdowns without treed green spaces nearby.
Kids gut health improved with trees or mulch at school as well at home – just being around trees and mulch improves our gut biome. State government doesn’t understand this relationship.
“Getting your hands in the soil is good for you!”
Astrid Judge
Thanks so much to Sophie Torney, Mayor, and Councillors Wes Gault, Michael Nolan and Shima Ibuki for attending the event
KooyongKoot Alliance
The KooyongKoot Alliance is comprised of over twenty Friends Groups working in the Gardiners Creek (KooyongKoot) catchment to help restore the creek catchment, provide wildlife corridors and improve water quality and water management.
Here is a summary of some recent and ongoing projects.
Kooyongkoot alliance supports research, advocacy to improve revegation and water quality for Kooyongkoot (Gardiners Creek)
“There’s nothing better than working with like-minded people on local environmental projects.”
Ray Peck, Lighter Footprints Forests Working Group
Balwyn Rotary Club Verges Project
Road verges account for more than one third of public green space. As one of the Balwyn Rotary Biodiverse Nature Strips homeowners put it: “There are better things to do with this patch of dirt than grass and weeds”!
Balwyn Rotary is helping property owners in Boroondara beautify their nature strips – replacing the grass (and weeds!) with flowering native shrubs, grasses and groundcovers
University of Melbourne research confirms that road verges planted for biodiversity increase the diversity and number of bees – particularly large bodied bees. ”Bee species richness and abundance increased at experimental plantings in the first post-planting year and remained stable thereafter”
“Nature strips planted to support biodiversity, build social connections and raise community awareness of the importance of nature positive actions urgently needed to counter the extinction crisis our world faces.”
Julie Mulhauser, Balwyn Rotary Club Verges Project
Julie notes that Australia has the shameful record of being a world leader in mammalian extinctions. With the federal government reviewing the Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) – it is very important communities join together to advocate for an EPBC Act that actually protects! The Biodiversity Council has joined with other significant conservation and industry bodies in calling for nature positive law: “Reforming the EPBC Act must be a key priority of the Albanese government”
Huge thanks to our speakers for staying for some time to speak to the audience personally
Newsletter, donation and working groups
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