Two of Melbourne’s leafy eastern councils are taking different approaches to their urban forests, with Boroondara committing to grow its tree canopy while Monash councillors have voted to retain extra scrutiny over protected tree removals.
🌡️ Rising heat: As record-breaking extreme heat conditions hit Melbourne’s east, trees can help protect communities by providing shade and cooling built-up areas.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology’s 2025 summary, Australia experienced its fourth-warmest year on record last year, with temperatures 1.23 degrees above the 1961-1990 average.
A recent study found the January 5 to 10 heatwave across south-eastern Australia was the most severe in six years.
Developed by RMIT researchers, the Heat Vulnerability Index found Melbourne’s outer suburbs had the highest vulnerability to extreme heat, linked to limited tree cover and urban heat-island effects.
🔎 Transparent decisions: In a late July council meeting, Monash councillors rejected a proposal that would have allowed council staff to approve tree-removal applications without a council vote.
The majority of councillors argued public oversight over tree removals was important.
🌱 Planting plans: In another eastern suburbs council, Boroondara endorsed its next two years of actions to improve tree canopy and urban biodiversity. More than $8.7 million will be spent over four years and almost 10,000 trees planted.
The Tree Canopy Strategy Action Plan aims for 30 percent canopy cover by 2040, including 27.5 percent across private land – a 3.5 percent increase over 25 years.
The plan includes $2.1 million in 2026/27 and $8.75 million over four years, with a target of planting 2,000 trees each year. Seven hundred of these trees each year will be provided by the North-East Link project, which aims to plant two new trees for every one removed.
Boroondara deputy mayor Shima Ibuki said growing the area’s tree canopy was a “constant fight”.
🗣️ “Council does as much as it can to plant trees on council land, but at the same time, we're losing trees through projects, not only such as the North East Link, but also on private land,” she said.
🕶️ Seeking shade: University of Melbourne senior research fellow Dr Judy Bush said people would increasingly rely on routes with larger tree canopy coverage to reach shops, transport hubs and community facilities.
🗣️ “Climate risks are highlighting just how important mature trees are for all of us,” she told the Eastern Melburnian.
⏭️ What’s needed? Bush said protecting mature vegetation on private land was as important as planting trees on public land.
🗣️ “We need to think about providing incentives and support for tree retention to try to tip the balance,” she said.