Helping keep Moonee Valley green and beautiful
Moonee Valley is renowned for its leafy trees and lush parks and gardens.
As well as providing us with the most important thing of all, oxygen, trees play an important role in enhancing the character and identity of our city.
Tree pruning
We regularly inspect our street trees for safety on an annual cycle and prune them to improve their health, structural integrity and appearance, and to ensure they are clear of overhead powerlines, footpaths and roads.
Pruning schedule:
| Suburb | Start Date | Finish Date |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 2024/25 | ||
| Flemington | September 2024 | October 2024 |
| Ascot Vale | October 2025 | November 2025 |
| Moonee Ponds | November 2024 | January 2025 |
| East Keilor | January 2025 | February 2025 |
| Year 2 2025/26 | ||
| Avondale Heights | July 2025 | August 2025 |
| Niddrie | September 2025 | October 2025 |
| Airport West | November 2025 | December 2025 |
| Strathmore | January 2026 | February 2026 |
| Essendon | March 2026 | May 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
How can I have a tree on my nature strip removed or trimmed?
You can make a request online by clicking the button below or call us on 9243 8888. We'll inspect your tree and determine if it meets the criteria in the Tree Management Strategy.
Can I prune my own street tree?
No. Trees must be pruned by qualified Council staff.
Can I plant my own street tree?
You'll need to contact us first. We'll check it out and in most cases agree that you can plant your own tree, provided it's one of the approved species. If you choose to plant your own tree, it will be at your own cost.
How do I get a nature strip tree?
Call us on 9243 8888. We'll inspect your street to determine if it can be included in the next planting season.
Significant trees
We're strongly committed to protecting trees of local significance within our city.
The urban forest, including all the trees and vegetation in our city is critically important to both mental and physical health as these cool, green environments encourage people to recreate and socialise outdoors. As the climate changes and we experience hotter, drier and more extreme weather conditions, our community will be more impacted by heat stress and flood risk. A healthy urban forest is one of the most effective ways to mitigate urban heat island and improve health outcomes in the community.
The Moonee Valley City Council Significant Tree Register can be viewed here.
What is a significant tree?
Trees are classified as 'significant' after being independently assessed against the National Trust Significant Trees criteria, which has 12 categories:
- horticultural or genetic value
- unique location or context
- rare or localised distribution
- particularly old specimen
- outstanding size
- aesthetic value
- curious growth habitat
- historical significance
- connection to Aboriginal culture
- outstanding example of species
- remnant vegetation
- outstanding habitat
Significant trees can be located on both public and private land and can be a singular tree or a group of trees.
The Environmental Significance Overlay (ESO) protects the municipality's significant trees.
Under the ESO, a planning permit is required for:
- the removal of any tree identified within the register
- for any building and works proposed within each tree’s respective tree protection zone (TPZ)
A TPZ is an area surrounding a tree in which development should be managed in order to prevent damage to the tree and its root structure. The TPZ is calculated as 12 x diameter at breast height (trunk diameter at 1.4 metres above ground level).
A TPZ is applied so that we can assess a proposed development’s impact on the respective tree’s root system which, if damaged, can severely impact on the health of the tree.
TPZs can extend across property boundaries. This means your property could be included in the ESO even if the significant tree is not located on your land.
In the case of emergency works the requirement to obtain a permit does not apply to vegetation that is to be removed, destroyed or lopped in the following circumstances only:
- in an emergency by, or on behalf of, a public authority or municipal council to create an emergency access or to enable emergency works; or
- where it presents an immediate risk of personal injury or damage to property. Only that part of the vegetation that presents the immediate risk may be removed, destroyed or lopped under this exemption.
A permit is not required under the ESO to prune trees for maintenance purposes provided that the branch size is no greater than 10 centimetres in diameter and the total amount removed is not more than 10 percent of the canopy in accordance with Australian Standard AS4373-2007.
An appropriately qualified arborist will be able to help you ensure that pruning work is within these requirements, or let you know when the pruning required exceeds the about amounts and a planning permit may be required.
Further statutory information and requirements of the Environmental Significance Overlay (ESO) that helps to protect significant trees can be found in the Moonee Valley Planning Scheme under Clause 42.01 Environmental Significance Overlay and Schedule 2 to Clause 42.01 (Environmental Significance Overlay) ‘Significant Trees’.
For more information about the planning permit application process please see Planning Applications and Permits or contact our Statutory Planning team on 9243 9111.
Street trees
We have more than 50,000 street trees, of both native and exotic species.
Learn more in our Tree Management Plan (pdf, 5MB) and Electric Line Clearance Management Plan 2025-26 (pdf, 3MB)
Passive irrigation for street trees
We plant approximately 2,000 trees every year in Moonee Valley streets and regularly water them for the first two years.
Passive irrigation directs stormwater from streets towards trees and vegetation in nature strips. This supports tree health and increases the rate of canopy growth. In turn, these healthy trees can increase shade and cool and mitigate urban heat island effects.
Passive irrigation provides a way to capture water, and this is particularly valuable during water restrictions, as when it rains the rainwater is held in irrigation pits and trenches and soaked up by the tree roots.
While passive irrigation is a useful system, we will continue to use manual watering and tanks (when severe drought conditions are prevalent). Passive irrigation has benefits beyond just watering immediately adjacent street trees - it recharges the ground water and generally improves after availability for all trees downhill of the passive irrigation, it reduces run off, and it improves waterway health.
Watering street trees brings long term benefits that help to make Moonee Valley a liveable and sustainable place to be.
Adopt a tree
Help keep our city green and reduce water consumption by adopting a street tree!
Those who adopt a tree are asked to water it whenever they have a drop to spare. Street trees don’t require much water. In fact, a bucket of reclaimed water from the laundry or shower will help maintain the trees and keep our streets green.
To adopt a street tree, send us an email with your name, address, phone number and the location of your adopted street tree.
You can also call us on 9243 8888.
Nature Strip Landscaping Guidelines
Did you know you can personalise your nature strip with your own plants? We recently adopted a Nature Strip Landscaping Guidelines, so you can makeover your nature strip with grasses, shrubs, ground covers or even raised planter boxes.
Need some tips on what to plant? Read our Wildlife friendly gardening guide (pdf, 6MB).
Council has adopted the Nature Strip Guidelines which gives residents the chance to personalise their nature strips by choosing their own plants.
Canopy tree
A canopy tree is any tree that meets one of the following criteria:
- has a total trunk circumference of 110cm or more, measured 1.5 metres above ground
- is multi-stemmed, with a combined trunk circumference of 110cm or more at 1.5 metres above ground
- has a trunk circumference of 150cm or more at ground level.
You need a permit:
- to remove a canopy tree
- to carry out works within 2 metres from the tree base.
If you are looking to remove a canopy tree, you must complete a Tree Removal Permit Application
Important: Applying for a permit does not guarantee approval
Each application is assessed carefully, and Council may grant a permit (with or without conditions), refuse to grant a permit or determine that a permit is not required.
How your application is assessed
Council considers several factors, including:
- the impact on the aesthetics of the neighbourhood
- the health and structural integrity of the tree
- if the tree is suitable for its location
- if the tree is causing unreasonable property damage or nuisance
- relevant zoning and legislative requirements.
Supporting evidence
Applicants may need to provide supporting evidence from a suitably qualified practitioner (such as an arborist or engineer) to verify claims made in the application, particularly if the tree's condition, structural stability, or impact on property is cited as a reason for removal.
Application fees and refund policy
If you submit an application for a tree that does not meet the size threshold, Council will confirm that no permit is required. However, we will not refund the administration fee of $143.00 per application, as it covers the cost of assessing the application.