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.
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 (pdf, 3.2MB).
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.
Parents of adopted trees will get:
- adoption certificates
- a bucket
- a litre of environmentally-friendly laundry liquid
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.
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.
Nature Strip Policy
Did you know you can personalise your nature strip with your own plants? We recently adopted a Nature Strip Landscaping Policy, 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 Policy which gives residents the chance to personalise their nature strips by choosing their own plants. To view the policy click here and search for Nature Strip Landscaping Policy.
You can also view our Frequently Asked Questions here
Canopy Tree
A Canopy tree is any tree with a total trunk circumference of 110 centimetres or more measured at a point 1.5 metres along the trunk’s length from the closest point above ground level; or
- if multi-stemmed, with a total trunk circumference of all its trunks of 110 centimetres or more, measured at a point 1.5 metres along the trunks’ lengths from the closest point above ground level; or
- with a trunk circumference of 150 centimetres or more measured at ground level.
If you are looking to remove a canopy tree you must complete a Tree removal permit application (pdf, 144KB).
Significant trees
We're strongly committed to protecting trees of local significance within our city.
Our Significant Tree Register was developed in 2001 as a database of 192 trees and groups of trees.
In 2010, we worked with our community for two years to review the register, and as a result the number of trees, or groups of trees, increased to 203. We undertook another review in 2014, with another 19 trees added.
We recently engaged professional arborists to undertake a Moonee Valley-wide survey to identify all local trees of significance.
The survey, and review of the existing register, identified 1,474 trees on both public and private property which are of significant value and worthy of inclusion in our Significant Tree Register.
A planning scheme amendment was completed to allow the new trees to be added to the register.
Amendment C179 incorporated these additional trees of local significance into the Environmental Significance Overlay (ESO), which means a permit is required to remove or lop a significant trees, and for any buildings and works within the Tree Protection Zone which is put in place to protect root structures.
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.
What planning controls protect significant 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.
For more information please contact our Statutory team on 9243 8888.