Melbourne, Victoria: Urban Forest Strategy
In the early 2010s, after several years of drought, the City of Melbourne realized that their urban canopy was vulnerable to disease and age-related tree loss. A Useful Life Expectancy (ULE) assessment in 2012 concluded that over twenty percent of the tree population would be lost within ten years, and almost forty percent would be lost within twenty years. These percentages only increased in heritage landscapes and reserves. Melbourne’s broader assessment also concluded that the lack of diversity in Melbourne’s canopy increased the risk of “ill health and mortality through pests, pathogens, extreme heat events, and low rainfall” - all of which events are expected to increase in frequency and intensity due to climate change. To begin combating this issue, the city developed a 68-page Urban Forest Strategy plan that lays out ambitious goals for canopy improvement by 2040. The plan takes into account specific issues facing Melbourne such as population increase and fire risk to craft a plan seeking to “manage existing landscapes, adapt [new] landscapes, and engage with the community. The strategy document follows a standard comprehensive plan format, laying out a series of goals, principles, strategies, actions, and outcome-monitoring procedures.
Several tools mentioned in the Urban Forest Strategy have been created and are now publicly available. The most notable tools are:
The Exceptional Tree Register, which adds additional protections for trees that have “aboriginal association; aesthetic value; curious growth form; environmental/micro-climate services; historical value; horticultural value; location or context; outstanding example of species; outstanding habitat value; outstanding size; particularly old; rare or locali[z]ed; or social, cultural or spiritual significance”;
The new 2012 Melbourne Tree Valuation Method, which increases the value of individual trees and financially incentivizes developers to find ways to protect trees instead of removing them;
The Melbourne Urban Forest Visual, which maps individual trees based on their age, species, and precinct to better understand the life expectancy of the current inner city canopy; and
The “Email-A-Tree” campaign, which evolved from a method of reporting diseased trees to a way to encourage emotional connection with the forest.
Melbourne has established itself as a national leader in urban forest protection due to its thorough planning initiatives and easy-to-read strategic documents. It hopes to not only increase its canopy cover from 22% to 40% by 2040 but to diversify its tree stock and protect trees on both public and private land.
To see more resources regarding Melbourne’s urban forestry efforts, visit these links:
City of Melbourne Urban Forest Strategy Home Page
Tree Valuation: Implementing new strategies for urban forestry in the City of Melbourne (2020)
City of Melbourne: Nature in the City: Thriving Biodiversity and Healthy Ecosystems (2017)