A73Implement Council’s Urban Forest Strategy

Progress

Not started
Planning
Implementation
Completed

On time

Council's Urban Forest Strategy was adopted in August 2023 and a range of actions are being implemented aimed at increasing Council's tree canopy to 20% by 2050. In November 2024, a ‘Landscape Compliance Officer’ was recruited tasked with enhancing Council's compliance program to ensure tree protection and enhancement are maximised. This is already resulting in more trees being planted on private land across the city.

Implementation of Council’s adopted Urban Forest Strategy is ongoing. A Tree Compliance Officer has been recruited and tasked with “enhancing Council's compliance program to ensure tree protection and enhancement are maximised”.

In 2025 field work component of Council’s ‘street tree inventory audit project’ was completed to improve existing tree inventory data and over 12,000 vacant tree planting locations were identified.

A park upgrade project at Swallow Reserve in Dingley Village to establish a new type of “nature park” was also completed. This included increased tree planting to boost canopy, the inclusion of logs and rocks, and additional new garden beds that will be planted with native plants.

At least 4,000 street and park trees are planted each year and objections to specific street tree locations are reducing.

Significant tree vandalism is being addressed through education, vigilance and prosecution.

Priority (high, medium, low)
High

Tasks

What are we doing?

2025
Review Kingston’s significant tree register
In July 2025, an assessment of Council’s urban forest to sequester and draw down carbon was completed. This determined that Council’s urban forest was storing approximately 317,700 tCO2e in 2022. Should Council’s goal of 20% canopy cover by 2050 be achieved, an additional 7,111 tCO2e will be sequestered by Council’s urban forest.
2030
Revegetate former landfill
As opportunities arise, include consideration of any new and emerging technologies which may support tree planting on rehabilitated landfill sites across Kingston's Green Wedge, and identify opportunities to expand the urban forest and double canopy cover (noting contamination constraints).
In 2024, Victory Road Reserve was created by rehabilitating a former 30-hectare landfill site was into parkland through a partnership between Council and Cleanaway.

What has been done?

31/12/2025
Measure the carbon sequestration potential of Kingston's trees
Develop a model that uses tree inventory data to estimate carbon sequestration and change over time.

Timeline

01/07/2022 → 01/07/2030

Department

City Strategy
E-mail: info@kingston.vic.gov.au
Open Space

Aim

Sustainable Development Goals

Contact persons

Susannah Kenny
Climate Emergency Lead & SECCCA Vice-President
Planning & Place

Information updated 05/02/2026

Progress

Description

Read more

Priority (high, medium, low)Definition

Tasks

What are we doing?

Review Kingston’s significant tree register

Revegetate former landfill

What has been done?

Measure the carbon sequestration potential of Kingston's trees

Summary and contacts

Timeline

Department

Aim

Sustainable Development GoalsDefinition

Contact persons

Priority (high, medium, low)

Sustainable Development Goals