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 foliage.
Tree planting takes place every year, between April and June. We take into consideration any and all impacts a tree could have on its immediate area. The safety of residents is always Darebin’s top priority.
Residents who would like a tree for their nature strip should notify council prior to the end of January each year for planting within that year. Requests received after January will be included in the following year's planting season.
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.
For information about planting on your nature strip, visit the Nature strip planting page.
Tree-planting program
We plant approximately 1,200 trees per year as part of our tree-planting program.
Following a request for a tree to be planted on a residents’ nature strip, our arborists 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 next planting season, between April and June every year. All available spaces are usually planted as part of this process.
Many site requirements are taken into account when selecting an appropriate tree species to plant, with the ‘right tree for the right location’ method used in accordance with our urban forest strategy(PDF, 2MB).
Caring for your new street tree
Darebin City Council has approximately 80,000 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 cyclic pruning program, which runs on a two-year cycle.
The following are some helpful hints on how to care for your street tree.
Maintain soil moisture
Maintaining soil moisture is important to a tree’s success in the streetscape. During dry weather conditions a tree could require 2-6 deep watering per month. We have a watering program for the first two years of each planted tree. This involves regular watering during the warm season of the first year and as required during the second year. Residents can assist by watering your tree particularly during the warmer and dry weather conditions.
Hand remove grass and weeds
Hand removing grass and weeds from the base of the tree would help the tree to establish by reducing competition for water and nutrients. Our establishment program includes weeding and mulching for the first two years, but residents can assist with additional weeding if desired.
Avoid cutting grass near the tree
Please don’t cut the grass around the base of the tree with a lawn mower or weed trimmer closer than 150mm to the trunk of the tree. Young, thin-barked trees are particularly vulnerable to weed trimmer and lawn mower injury. Damage to the trunk can weaken the tree structure over time and introduce disease, reducing the trees life expectancy. Instead, this area should be mulched, which we top up in the first two years.
Don't deposit lawn clippings near the tree
Please do not deposit lawn clippings around the base of the tree. This may lead to trunk decay and disease.
Avoid tying your tree
Tying your tree should not be required. Rope and wire can bite into the trunk encouraging disease. Once trees are established, stakes and ties will be removed by Council which will then encourage the tree to develop a strong trunk and root system.
Street tree species selection process
Council aims to plant 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 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.
For more information, you can read our considerations for tree planting(PDF, 123KB) and view our street trees species palette(PDF, 178KB).
Further information
Customer service
Call: 03 8470 8888
Email: mailbox@darebin.vic.gov.au