Urban Forest Strategy 2024 to 2040
What is the urban forest and why is it important?
Our urban forest includes all trees, shrubs, and groundcovers on both public and private land, such as in gardens, parks, green roofs, and industrial areas.
Cities with more greenery are healthier, happier, and more resilient. Trees and plants improve air quality, reduce heat and flood risks, lower stormwater costs, and boost property values. They also support biodiversity, create jobs, and enhance community life.
The Urban Forest Strategy 2024 to 2040
The Urban Forest Strategy 2024 to 2040 outlines how we will plan, protect, and grow our urban forest in the City of Port Phillip. It addresses challenges like climate change, population growth, and space limitations. Developed with community input, the strategy includes actions to expand canopy cover, enhance biodiversity, and encourage green practices on both private and public land.
Our goal is to protect and improve our urban forest while adapting to urban challenges. Our objectives are:
- Increased canopy cover on public and private land for a liveable, sustainable, equitable and vibrant city.
- Cooler and greener city which is resilient to more extreme weather and changes in rainfall.
- Our community is engaged, trees and plants are valued, and we build partnerships to green our urban environment across all land types.
- A well-managed forest, including tree health and quality, pest and disease management, and succession planning for iconic species and locations.
- A biodiverse urban forest with diverse species, healthy ecosystems, and habitat.
The Urban Forest Strategy was updated in 2026. The updates were required to reflect current project timeframes and scope. Changes to the scope of actions were limited to:
- replacing references to an irrigation strategy with the development of a Water Sensitive City Plan (which provides a broader and more integrated approach to water management)
- updating references to tree audits (to assess the health of Council Trees) to be consistent with Council’s Tree Maintenance Contract.
Want to dive deeper into our strategy? Download the Urban Forest Strategy here. If you prefer a printed copy, feel free to reach out to us via the contact options below.
Urban Forest Precinct Plans
The Urban Forest Strategy supports the development of urban forest precinct plans for all our neighbourhoods. Each plan sets out how we will increase canopy cover and biodiversity on land that is owned or managed by Council.
Discover adopted Urban Forest Precinct Plans via the Urban Forest Precinct Plan webpage.
Contact us
Our Parks and Trees team is here to help.
Send us a message on My Port Phillip
Phone: 03 9209 6777