By Ewen McRae
Melton is leading the way in Melbourne in terms of increasing tree coverage, bucking a city-wide trend.
A report from the Centre for Urban Research showed that Melbourne has lost almost 2000 hectares of tree cover in the past five years as suburban backyards are cleared for new housing.
However the vast majority of the reductions occurred in the traditionally leafy suburbs, with Melton increasing its tree coverage by almost 2 per cent between 2018-19.
Whittlesea, Wyndham and Maribyrnong council areas were the next best, all increasing tree coverage by 1-2 per cent, with most of the improvements coming in public spaces.
By comparison, Yarra Ranges Shire had a canopy decrease of almost 5 per cent. Eastern suburban Maroondah has shed more than three percentage points of its canopy cover and Mornington Peninsula has also lost 3 per cent.
While the numbers were improving, the report showed that Melton still had the lowest percentage of tree coverage in urbanised areas of all Melbourne councils.
The report stated the improvement in tree canopy cover across the west was the result of council and environmental groups’ efforts.
“The Western region has the lowest baseline tree cover, and is experiencing modest gains across residential land, parkland and streets,” the report stated.
“The increase in parks and streets may reflect the significant focus across the western suburbs on greening the public realm.
“Planting trees has limited impact on vegetation cover in the short term but will have an increasingly significant impact as the trees mature.”
The report concluded that development and homeowners’ decisions to clear or reduce the amount of greenery in their yards were playing a significant part in reducing Melbourne’s overall urban tree cover.
with Adam Carey/The Age
