Latrobe City Councils tree population throughout the urban and rural areas of the municipality are highly valued by the community and contribute significantly to the liveability and localised neighbourhood character of all areas in which they inhabit.
Urban trees provide countless environmental, economic and social benefits, which contribute to a more liveable city by:
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Supporting community health and wellbeing;
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Shade the streetscapes and its hard surfaces during hot summers;
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Provide countless environmental benefits through biodiversity;
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Absorb air pollution (sequester and store carbon).
Latrobe City is committed to protecting, enhancing and managing its current tree population for the long-term benefits in which trees provide.
Through efficient and effective management programs Latrobe City aims to increase canopy coverage, protect existing trees, promote public safety and tree health, implement cost effective tree management programs and increase public awareness of the value of all its trees.
Latrobe City recognises that all public owned trees are dynamic, living assets requiring ongoing maintenance and management. Through Councils current tree management and maintenance programs Council aims to improve the liveability of all areas it is responsible for.
Tree Management Plan 2022 - 2027
The Tree Management Plan 2022-2027 provides a consistent approach to the management of trees directly under the control of Latrobe City Council. The document aims to protect existing trees through efficient and effective management programs.
The Tree Management Plan 2022-2027 applies to all trees on land owned and managed by Latrobe City Council. Council intends to promote a greener Latrobe by engaging with the community to educate about the importance of trees and future tree management for future generations to admire and enjoy.
Download the Tree Management Plan 2022 - 2027
Tree Management Programs
Tree Maintenance
Council is responsible for the care, maintenance and management of all trees in public open space areas including streets, parklands, reserves, bushland reserve, rural and local roadsides. Street trees require intensive management due to their growing environment and community expectations for amenity / aesthetics, functionality and safety.
Trees also have the potential to live for many generations and provide great benefits to the whole community from an environmental and ecological perspective. As well as astatically enhancing the forever growing urban environment.
Through customer service requests and proactive tree inspections. Councils in-house team of qualified Arborists manage and prioritise tree related requests accordantly. All tree inspection undertaken by Latrobe City Council Arborists consider multiple factors when making recommendations on Council managed trees.
Works identified during either proactive or reactive inspection will be scheduled and conducted by either Councils in-house team or Council approved contractors. All maintenance works undertaken within Latrobe City Council boundaries are conducted in line with current industry best practices and in line with Councils Tree Management Plan 2022 -2027.
Click here to view the Tree Work Notification Policy
Tree Removal
Latrobe City Council will investigate all tree management options before recommending tree removal. While Council acknowledges trees will shed tree materials, this is seen as a natural occurrence and the removal of a tree solely on this basis is not supported.
Latrobe City Council places a high emphasis on protecting its Council maintained trees. This is why the decision to remove a tree is not taken lightly. Trees will only ever be considered for removal if they have been deemed Dead, Declining, and/or Diseased (DDD) or Hazardous and pose a risk to human life / general public or infrastructure.
Click here to view information about Tree Pruning
Tree Planting
Latrobe City Council is committed to increasing its tree coverage across all urban and rural areas within the municipality. Currently Council plants around 1000 within streets and parklands annually with plans to increase this number over the coming years.
Residents can request new and/or replacements trees within their street. Council will advise of appropriate species for new replacement plantings.
Latrobe City invests in quality nursery stock and best practice tree planting techniques to give all new tree the best possible start.
Council conducts its annual tree planting program between May – September of each year
Download the Latrobe City Council Street Tree Replacement List
Electrical Line Clearance
Latrobe City Council is responsible for maintaining vegetation clear from electrical assets (powerlines) within the four urban declared areas of Moe/Newborough, Morwell, Traralgon and Churchill within the municipality. These legislative requirements are in accordance with the Electrical safety Act 1998 and the current Electrical Safety (Electric Line Clearance) Regulations 2020.
Latrobe City Council is sensitive with respect to the preservation of trees within these urban areas.
To facilitate these legislative requirements and to remain compliant Latrobe City Council conducts an annual urban block pruning program to ensure compliance is achieved. Tree pruning activities within these declared areas have been divided into 10 blocks over a biennial cycle. (completing five blocks annually, Year-1 Blocks 1 - 5 and Year - 2 Blocks 6 – 10)
Through this annually program Latrobe City intends is to ensure legislative compliance and management obligation are achieve by:
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Clearance pruning from electrical assets to ensure compliance with government legislation;
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Prescribe management procedures to minimise danger of electric lines causing fire (and bushfire) or electrocution, caused by trees;
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Provide clearances for pedestrian, vehicles, and sight lines;
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Manage Tree health; and
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Reduce the risk to public safety.
Click here to view the Electric Line Management Plan
Download the Block Pruning Maps
Elm Leaf Beetle Treatment
Latrobe City Council has a significant and healthy population of Elm trees within municipality. These trees require special protection to prevent being attacked / defoliated by Elm Leaf Beetle.
Council is committed to preserving the Elm tree population by maintaining an annual Elm Leaf Beetle soil injection control program by applying a serious of soil injections around the base of every tree. This has been divided into a biennial program and will assist in the preservation of the of the current Elm tree population.
Council most noted Elm tree population include 31 mature specimens located within medium strip between Franklin Street and Church Street which were planted as World War 1 commemorative plantings. This avenue is a major landscape feature icon of Traralgon.
along Kay Street, Traralgon. Due to the significance of these trees they have also been listed on the National Trust (File No. T11194).
Council have further planted an additional 46 trees along Kay street medium strip to continue the avenue and make a major landscape feature, within the urban town ship of Traralgon.
Note: Latrobe City Council does not treat Elm tree within private properties.
Significant Tree Register
Councils most valuable and important trees enhance the character and amenity value of our Urban and Rural areas.
Latrobe City Councils Significant Tree Register has been developed over many years with the intention to identify and recognise the most important and valuable trees located within the municipality.
Latrobe City Council’s Significant Tree Register is a document that provides reference to the tree species of significance directly under Councils control. These identified trees are located within the recognised towns, parklands and reserves. Some of these trees are already listed on the ‘National Trust Tree Victoria - Significant Tree Registry’
Click here to view the Significant Tree Register
Click here to view the Significant Tree Register - Private Property