City of Melbourne unveils next urban forest plan for inner city

The City of Melbourne is seeking community feedback on new draft “urban forest” precinct plans for Carlton and East Melbourne.

The plans mark the next stage of the council’s Urban Forest Strategy, which sets ambitious 2040 targets to protect and grow the city’s canopy cover, help cool the city, increase biodiversity, and boost amenity to support business and tourism.

The draft strategy, which was tabled at the July 9 Future Melbourne Committee (FMC) meeting, proposes a range of healthy, diverse, and resilient tree species supported by an integrated approach to managing water and soil. 

“The urban forest will be colourful and connected, providing shade for people and habitat for native birds and pollinators. It will strengthen the character of the heritage precincts and create a public realm that supports the public life,” the strategy states.

The draft strategy, which also includes precinct plans for the CBD and South Yarra, are available for public comment via an online survey on the Participate Melbourne website until August 8. 

The City of Melbourne’s environment portfolio lead Cr Rohan Leppert said he was pleased that the City was striving towards “ambitious” 2040 targets, adding that if the latest vision was anything like the award-winning 2013 plans, they would be the “single best thing” that the council did to connect with each local community. 

The council is actively working to become a leader in urban forestry by 2040 by aiming to increase canopy cover to 40 per cent and implementing strategies that ensure that 90 per cent of the municipality’s tree population is healthy. 

Since the strategy’s implementation in 2012, tree numbers have risen to more than 80,000, with plantings in Carlton having risen from just over 5000 to around 9000 in 2023.  

East Melbourne has also seen 3500 trees planted in its neighbourhood since 2012, including 15 major street tree planting projects completed.

However, according to the strategy, canopy cover for each precinct hasn’t progressed far beyond 30 per cent and the council is committed to increasing this to 40 per cent by 2040 by planting 3000 trees per year across the municipality. 

The council says that continuing to increase the canopy cover is essential to combat the heat risks that the CBD faces due to its buildings, roads, and infrastructure absorbing heat. 

Without intervention, temperatures in the central Melbourne are expected to reach levels associated with heat-related illness in vulnerable populations more often and for longer than in surrounding suburban and rural areas. 

Through previous consultation, residents in Carlton and East Melbourne precincts have identified that in addition to greater canopy cover, they want to see a select mix of native and exotic species planted in “harmony with the streetscape and its uses”. 

Targeted feedback will be sought from contributors, along with widespread promotion to capture views and inform the final versions of the precinct plans, which will be considered by councillors in February 2025. 

According to Cr Leppert, one of the key reasons behind this success is community consultation. 

“The best thing about this is that it's done with the community. The workshops inform these draft plans, and consultation will now happen on these draft plans,” he said. •