Like so many councils, Glen Eira has an Urban Forest Strategy. Yet we really know nothing about the progress of this strategy. We do have an ‘implementation strategy’ which is full of aspirational, motherhood statements, rather than clear and precise plans. As an example here is a screen dump from part of this strategy.
Please note that council’s annual report fails to reveal how many trees were removed. All we are told is the number of new plantings. To the best of our memory, we have yet to see any ‘audit’ of the strategy. If this has been done, then it should be in the public domain!
Nor does the Urban Forest Strategy outline how the disparity in terms of canopy cover between various areas are to be tackled. Yes, there are a few sentences which state the areas with lower tree canopy but nothing is proposed on which areas will become top priority, nor how. Since the adoption of the strategy, no further information has surfaced in regards to this important factor.
By way of contrast, we urge readers to compare Glen Eira with Bayside. In the latter’s current agenda we find lengthy documents for each of their precincts – shown below –
We’ve uploaded the Brighton East document merely as an example.
Yet the analysis, and draft actions, are specifically directed to the individual characteristics of this area – even street to street as shown by the included maps.
Finally it is worth reminding readers that Bayside has set a target of 30% tree canopy cover by 2040. Glen Eira has been forced to change its initial target and go up to 22% by 2040 – for a municipality that has close to the greatest loss of tree canopy in the state and definitely the least amount of public open space per capita. When will we see some real action, some real planning, and some meaningful financial resourcing so that the tree canopy will indeed increase dramatically?
Glen Eira Debates 
June 23, 2023 at 12:40 PM
Make plans that sound fantastic then shove them in the back drawer and hope people think they are achieving something. That’s Glen Eira to a tee.
June 23, 2023 at 2:53 PM
Worts still. Under Under Engage and Collaborate. (Page 30)
Action:- Establish a community Urban Forest /Climate and Sustainability/Parks and Gardens advisory committee.
Time frame 2021 – ongoing.
This has not happened so there has been no reporting back.
It’s a joke. I can see a failure in the making here. I have badgered some councillors overs this deliberate inaction and they have show little to no interest.
June 23, 2023 at 3:28 PM
Wow … I wish there had been a check first. This is what I am aware of – from “outside the Council”.
Earlier this year the Councilors called for the report on the Urban Forest progress from Council Officers and this was presented/reported through to the Sustainability Committee.
The numbers of trees planted this year (2022/23) was planned to be 2,500 – the highest ever! Tree numbers on the identified spaces are reported in quarterly reports – 320 spaces reported in March (Bayside had 4,023 vacant sites – NOT Planted! – in its report).
Bayside has a species concentration problem – with its street tree diversity of 60% Myrtaceae Family of Trees in Streets 56% of the same Tree Family in Parks. The recommended risk concentration per family is less than 20% (many aim for 10%). When Living Melbourne State Government was launched in 2019 – Bayside had a much higher starting canopy coverage. Glen Eira has 77 kilometers more road surface than Bayside.
Glen Eira has Open Space of 4.5% of total land area and Bayside has 11.5% of its land area in open space (page 50 Glen Eira Open Space Strategy:
https://www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/media/3427/open-space-strategy-refresh-2020.pdf )
From outside the council – I am aware the Glen Eira Team has consulted and put much effort into planning/researching “Climate Ready” Trees – those that will handle hotter temperatures, where some existing species will not survive for complete palette re-write and the street-by-street comparisons.
There are some trees in both Councils that will not survive increased temperatures. There are also different planting programs considered – including mixing up the species and increasing the canopy cover with purposeful/planned biodiversity support. But then Glen Eira has a shortage of large trees – which is (now) to its planning advantage.
Glen Eira has also submitted Planning Policy updates to the Minister (and it is on the Minister’s desk) to ensure trees are planted in the front yards of developments (C220) – as a required planning permit condition.
Glen Eira held community planting days – where thousands of shrubs and small plants were planted with the help of the locals – to build up the lower biodiversity support in parks and gardens.
The Sustainability Committee (Local community members, Councillors and invited guest) is to receive a series of detailed presentations on the 29th of June – including a major update on the Urban Forest from the lead council officers and the planned and funded programs / plantings.
Next year’s Draft Budget (page 11 of tomorrow’s Council Meeting Agenda) records : Urban Forest Strategy implementation, including tree planting, maintenance and risk mitigation ($4.9m)
Yes: for the Elsternwick Structure Plan we (small community groups) are looking at, and strongly debating with council planning, extra tree planting spaces within the structure plan as it would be difficult to plant trees down Glenhuntly road – we need to plant closer to where residents live and there are nature strip spaces for that – and keep Glenhuntly road clear for its “traffic” and parking.
The community groups have also been talking with State Government Ministers in the last three weeks continuing the funding requests for the GreenLine – of which a part is in Elsternwick. An exciting project. Glen Eira council officers have met with the community groups a few times, and even “walked” the proposed route. The Traffic Team has been out to site too taking pictures and making sure integrated planning will be achieved.
And, yes, I am going to the Sustainability Committee meeting next Thursday evening. And, yes, we all have an interest in this – to keep Glen Eira cooler as temperatures rise – for which at last year’s VCAT meeting we presented modeling where temperatures will reach 50 degrees in some parts of Elsternwick – a suburb already marked by the State Government as requiring a Priority Heat Response.
In summary – The Council officers reported the Urban Forest progress earlier this year. There is also a lot of work to continue …. but I bet everyone on the Sustainability Committee and Councillors are looking forward to next Thursday night’s Urban Forest Update.
June 23, 2023 at 4:09 PM
Thanks for the feedback, however we must agree to disagree on several points –
1. You claim that ‘progress’ has been reported on the Urban Forest Strategy via the advisory committee. When one looks at the agendas for this year we find that on the 2nd May 2023, three sustainability minutes were presented – for the following dates – 12th May 2022; 6th October 2022 and 9th March 2023. So it would appear that it has taken 10 months for the minutes of a committee meeting to reach the public. Why?
2. secondly, perusing all of these minutes there is nothing on the Urban Forest strategy. There is one topic on biodiversity but not specifically on the issues of tree canopies.
3. Thus is this committee doing what it is supposed to be doing in terms of progressing the Urban Forest Strategy which is arguably the core component of fighting climate change and urban heat island effect?
June 23, 2023 at 4:46 PM
Love the topic …. thanks
For clarity I will attend next Thursday night’s meeting and listen for the answers.
Perhaps I have it wrong and the requested report went back to the Councillors Assembly.
But, I am 100% sure on the Urban Forest update request at the time as I was in the middle of the emails – and Councillors confirmed the request had been made for “more than” we had requested.
I am so looking forward to next Thursday evening detailing the next year’s “actuals” for the Urban forest … remembering it is out of hours for everyone who are donating their own personal time to attend.
Yes, for climate adaptation (living with rising temoeratures) there is nothing (yet) more important that tree planting now. One 8 metre canopy can cool its immediate shaded area by up to 8 degrees and it will transpire up to 120 litres of water into the air per day … cooling.
I was in Elsternwick filming last week and a lady almost attacked me with a broom, saying she dislikes (but was more descriptive) trees so much, as she swept the leaves in the street, believe it or not, into the storm water drain! I was speechless.
In her second breath stated the Council had to come out because of blocked drains!
Until next Thursday.
June 23, 2023 at 5:23 PM
Looking forward to your report re next Thursday – that is of course, unless everything is deemed ‘confidential’!!!!!!!!
June 23, 2023 at 6:32 PM
….. or it takes ages and ages for the info to be released as per normal.
June 23, 2023 at 10:15 PM
Kerry Gore with all respect the UFS is not all about planting trees. It’s also about the biodiversity in our region. It may be said we have a responsibility not only to plant trees to mitigate temps. But also to bolster the greater regions biodiversity.
Does the Sustainability Advisory Committee have the skills and the time to delve into the fineries of our UFS. Or, as I seen in many places already, will just any old tree in the ground suffice. Does Park Services have a rep on the Sustainability Sustainability Advisory Committee to hear what is being discussed?
Our UFS recommended the formation of a “Community Urban Forest /Climate and Sustainability/Parks and Gardens advisory committee”. Why is everyone that should have a understanding of what the risks and what’s needed to mitigate these risks trying to water-down the Action Points in our UBF.
June 23, 2023 at 5:30 PM
Out of curiosity I’ve checked the minutes for this year’s council meetings. There hasn’t been a request for a report on anything to do with the environment, climate change, or anything remotely relevant. Has all this discussion then taken place behind closed doors and why hasn’t the public been privy to what’s going on? More to the point, why hasn’t any councillor moved a motion for the request so that everything is out in the open? There’s far too much back room wheeling and dealing going on in this council.
June 24, 2023 at 11:05 AM
All well and good to plant thousands of trees. We need to know how many are still alive in 6 to 12 months! What’s council’s success rate. All I know is that 3 trees planted along my neighbours’ nature strips are dead and that was less than a year ago.