Street tree planting

Tree planting is undertaken between June and September each year, when the weather is cooler and there is enough rain to ensure new trees have good conditions to establish.

In addition to Council’s care of street trees, we encourage you to help care for a new street tree by:

• Watering it regularly, providing two buckets of water every week during the warm summer period
• Leave the stakes and the water well in place
• Please don’t put grass or mulch at the base of the tree trunk as this will cause collar rot to occur
• Please don’t  prune, remove or transplant the tree.

Trees help clean our air, improve wildlife corridors, reduce electricity bills, provide shade and cool our urban areas.

If you do not want a tree planted, Council will consider all feedback provided in relation to new street tree plantings. However, the street tree planting program is supported by the Hobsons Bay City Council Tree Policy 2021, and is driven by the ambitious targets that are set out in our Urban Forest Strategy 2020. To achieve these targets and for all our residents to enjoy the benefits that trees provide, Council intends to plant one or more tree on each suitable nature strip.

To provide feedback, please email us or contact the Customer Service Centre on 1300 179 944.

If you are concerned that a tree has been planted in an inappropriate location, please contact Council's Customer Service Centre on 1300 179 944. A Council arborist will inspect the tree and make a decision on whether the tree requires to be relocated.

Recently planted trees will not be removed because of reasons including (but not limited to):

• Personal preference
• Perceived nuisance (e.g. leaf litter)
• A desire for parking space
• Concerns that a tree will hamper views
• Allergy concerns, unless medical advice from a medical specialist in the field of allergies is provided, demonstrating the tree significantly diminishes the quality of life and there is no other way of managing the problem.

Fruit trees are not included in our list of approved tree species for street tree planting as they require higher levels of care and maintenance, and can be problematic when fruit drops onto pathways or roads.