Parks, Playgrounds & Trees
Tree Management
Tree Maintenance
Maintenance work performed on trees aims to manage tree health and enhance the quality of the treed landscape across the city, as well as reducing the inherent risks associated with trees in an urban area, and complying with legislation.
Maintenance work on publicly managed trees will occur to:
- Reduce the risk to public safety.
- Decrease potential damage to property.
- Provide clearances for pedestrians, vehicles and sight lines.
- Provide clearances around services and utility lines.
- Manage tree health.
- To shape young trees.
- Respond to tree or branch failure resulting from severe storms or other damaging activity.
Tree Pruning
Pruning work will be done with regard for the species, age, form, size, condition and position of each tree, with the aim of maintaining the long term health of the tree. Pruning trees promotes good health, shape, vigour, reduces dead wood and ensures appropriate clearances.
All facets of practical tree management is contracted to Citywide Service Solutions (Treecare). Citywide also provide tree services to other municipalities including City of Melbourne, City of Stonnington, City of Whittlesea, City of Casey and City of Bayside. All pruning undertaken on trees within the City of Port Phillip will comply with AS 4373-2007 - Pruning of amenity trees.
The city has been divided into maintenance zones. The maintenance zones and the Street Tree Zone Pruning Schedule are available to view or print.
2010 - 2011 Street Tree Pruning Schedule
Trees in residential streets are pruned on a two and a half year cycle. Trees on major roads and streets that are part of a boulevard or avenue are pruned annually as are trees beneath high voltage powerlines.
Resident Request Process
Q: What is the process if a tree is hanging low over a pedestrian footpath from private property?
A: Contact ASSIST on 9209 6777 ,e-mail assist@portphillip.vic.gov.au or lodge an online request using e-services and provide the location and details of the issue.
A local laws officer will contact property owners to undertake the pruning in a specified timeframe. Council does not undertake pruning or maintenance for trees on private property.
Q: What is the process if I think the street trees need pruning?
A: Contact ASSIST on 9209 6777,e-mail assist@portphillip.vic.gov.au or lodge an online request using e-services and a street tree maintenance request will be generated and directed to council’s tree maintenance contractor for action.
All pruning is undertaken according to the appropriate Australian Standards and/or contract specification. Should further pruning be necessary it will require approval from council’s arborist.
Download
2010 / 2011 Street Tree Pruning Schedule
Process for street tree pruning
Process for scheduled tree pruning
Tree Roots
A standard approach to reducing the risk of root damage to infrastructure within the city is required. This involves a coordinated approach from various departments and professionals involved with the management of the city’s assets.
A range of design, engineering and biological solutions need to be considered to either avoid or reduce the incidence of conflicts while maintaining landscapes that meet the expectations of the site users. Where there is an identified conflict between infrastructure and tree roots, the two most common management options used by the City of Port Phillip are root pruning and the use of root barriers.
The need for tree root management is generally due to:
- Resident concern regarding potential property damage.
- Potential trip hazards identified.
- Potential for council or utility infrastructure damage.
- Scheduled capital improvement works.
Download
Process for community consultation of tree root pruning
Tree Care
Council has a contractor to prune, mulch, remove and plant trees throughout the municipality. But you can help maintain the health of your tree by ensuring not to damage the bark and if you see any pests, disease or broken branches give us a call and we will take a look.
Trees sometimes fall victim to malicious acts of vandalism if you witness any tree being damaged please report it to council or crimestoppers.
When mowing the grass around your street tree be careful not to damage the tree's bark.
Mulching tree bases to the drip line of the canopy greatly improves soil conditions, allows more moisture to be retained in the soil, reduces moisture competition from grass and improves soil structure. Organic mulch is sourced from tree pruning and removal of trees in the municipality and when required purchased.
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More information
You can help the environment by adopting your favourite street trees, check out the adopt a tree page, read the tree care tips and grab a free bucket from your town hall or library to collect your grey water, it's easy!
Tree Care Tips - Learn more about how to care for your adopted street tree, the best way to water, mulch and condition the soil.
Tree Management - key challenges
Climate change
Climate change is expected to bring warmer, wetter winters, warmer drier summers and rates of fire and insect disturbance are expected to increase. In addition, these effects will interact with existing urban stresses such as air pollution, soil compaction and heat island effects. As our climate progressively changes, our young and stressed trees will take longer to grow and will require more care to stabilise to local conditions and reach maturity.
Managing for tree health will become increasingly important, and selection for tree species and varieties that are drought, heat and insect resistant will become a necessity.
Water management
A key element in the success of tree growth is the amount of water the tree receives. Many urban landscapes are dependent on supplementary watering to maintain them in a healthy, vigorous condition. It has become evident in recent years that prolonged drought and associated water restrictions have made some landscapes and certain tree species vulnerable. Major changes have occurred both in the condition and health of urban landscapes and the approach to the management of these landscapes. Strategies to adapt trees to a reduced water environment include:
- Estimating water requirements of trees and landscapes
- Introduction of water sensitive urban design initiatives such as bioretention tree pits and rain gardens to harvest and treat stormwater
- Selection of drought tolerant species
- Providing appropriate space (rooting volume) for trees (right tree right location)
A number of different methods and alternatives for replacing trees that are declining are available.
These include:
- Replace each tree as it dies or becomes dangerous
- Remove and replant the entire stand or avenue of trees
- Use a phased removal strategy, removing and replacing trees over an extended period of time
- Plant a new row of trees, outside or in-between the line of the existing row of trees, and remove the latter when the new row of trees is established
- Remove and replant in smaller manageable sections, over regular time intervals.
Significant reductions of mature trees would not be generally considered as good practice or acceptable as this would have a negative impact on social, cultural, environmental and economic values. It is also not good practice to artificially keep trees in a position that they are clearly unsuitable for, as this can lead to infrastructure damage, reduced tree health or conflict in the community. Good management will strive to achieve the right tree for the site and seek to avoid practices that adversely affect tree health.
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Tree risk management
A key issue confronting the community is how to manage an extensive tree resource, both from an ecological / landscape perspective and from a public safety standpoint ensuring that reasonable care is taken to manage the risks associated with hazardous trees.
The City of Port Phillip manages vast numbers of trees over large areas and within many varied landscape contexts. In the majority of cases, the large numbers of trees prohibits an individual tree assessment approach. The time involved in the inspection procedure and the works generated from such inspections would be extensive and prohibitively expensive for the community.
A broader, systematic and proactive approach to tree assessment is required that prioritises works on hazardous trees based on the establishment of tree risk. A tree risk management program provides a systematic process for scheduling and inspecting trees, enables the prioritisation of works based on perceived risk, and allows judicial use of community resources. The fundamentals of tree risk management involve:
- Regular assessment and documentation with prioritisation of works,
- Appropriate tree selection and allocation of suitable space, and
- Properly maintained trees.
The need for crisis management can be alleviated by having in place a tree risk management plan / process that aims to avoid, rectify or remove tree defects before they become hazardous.
Trees and urban infrastructure
The urban forest is subject to a variety of pressures, conflicts, changes to land-use and public requirements.
These pressures lead to damaged trees, which may affect their function and viability in the landscape. The conflict between tree roots and infrastructure is pervasive in urban areas.
The increase in urban development linked to the need and desire to have trees in our landscapes will invariably lead to conflicts.
Understanding the various causes of infrastructure damage will allow the most appropriate actions to be developed to minimise the risk of damage occurring.
A range of strategies need to be considered such as species selection and site assessment, root pruning and barrier placement to avoid or manage tree root conflicts with infrastructure.
Most of Port Phillip’s streets have above ground power and communication cables. Council has legislative clearance requirements for trees around powerlines.
Electricity Safety (Electric Line Clearance) Regulations 2005 (Energy Safe Victoria). This requires regular clearance pruning to attain required clearance distances. As population increases and re-development occurs there is also pressure to increase the size and number of vehicle crossovers, which can add pressure to existing trees.
Co-ordination with service providers and other council departments is required to ensure sustainable management of street trees.
Tree establishment in the urban environment
The urban forest is subject to a variety of pressures, local climate conditions, varying soil types, soil compaction, variances in soil moisture and vandalism, which may effect establishment and optimum growth of individual trees.
Many trees on streets situated close to the foreshore in Port Phillip have to contend with salt spray and salty soils and these conditions preclude many tree species from thriving. Careful choice of tree species is required to ensure minimum tree loss over time. Detailed site assessment is required for all street tree and park planting to determine local site conditions and minimise the establishment issues.
Pests & Diseases
Fusarium Wilt of Canary Island Date Palms
Fusarium whilt is a serious disease that affects Canary Island Palms in Australia. Specific operational procedures are required to manage Fusarium Wilt. The procedures are based on best practice industry standards for managing this disease.
Removals
- St Vincent’s Gardens (around the edge) – 3 trees noted to be infected and removed in 2004
- Albert Road – 1 tree noted to be infected and removed in 2004
- Beaconsfield Parade – 3 trees noted to be infected and removed in 2004 on the residential side
- Edwards Reserve – 1 tree noted to be infected and removed 2007
- St Kilda Botanical Gardens – 1 tree within the palm collection noted to be infected and was removed in 2010
- Edwards Reserve – 1 infected tree removed in November 2010
- St Vincents Gardens (around the edge) – 2 infected palms removed in November 2010
For more information visit the Fusarium Wilt web page
Links
Open Space Water Management Plan
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