Yarra Ranges Council is calling on the community to help advise on a new Tree Policy due to be implemented this year.
The updated policy upholds the council’s three-prong approach to tree management
A Yarra Ranges Council spokesperson said the council is asking community members to provide feedback on our updated Tree Policy.
“All Council policies must be regularly reviewed to reflect changes in legislation, regulations and best practice,” they said.
“In this updated policy, we’ve made minor administrative changes – such as noting where legislation has been updated.”
In a region where trees line so many of our townships and homes, tree management can be a key community safety concern and also result in heated debate.
Notably, the Warburton Tree saga in 2022 stands as a strong reminder of the contentious nature of the issue, where residents protested for weeks after the tree in Ottrey’s Car Park was slated for removal.
The council had only placed a small flyer near the site to advise that the tree would be removed due to safety concerns and ailing health, sparking outrage from community members who had grown attached to the tree in its long life and valued its amenity and potential for housing wildlife.
The council spokesperson said operational details have been moved into the Council’s Tree Management Plan and Tree Risk Assessment Framework.
“However, the way we manage trees, as outlined in the policy and those documents, has not substantially changed, and we believe our assessment – reactive and proactive – and management of trees on Council land is well-aligned with best practice,” they said.
“A notable change in the updated policy is that our Decision Review Process has been aligned with Council’s customer complaint process. This will ensure community members get a consistent, equitable and timely decision from Council about trees on Council land.”
“We encourage anyone interested to visit shaping.yarraranges.vic.gov.au to review the draft and provide feedback by 8 February.”
Yarra Ranges Council’s draft Tree Policy is guided by three principles: avoid tree removal, minimise tree removal and proactive tree planting.
This means that where possible, all available alternatives will be explored to retain trees on council land, the health and longevity of trees will be enhanced by practices such as tree pruning, root management, tree support systems and the control of weeds, animals and diseases and if tree removal is essential, the council will replant trees or carry out offset planting guided by its Tree Canopy strategy.
The council’s reactive tree inspections are in response to staff, residents and members of the public or other organisations advising the council of a potentially hazardous tree while proactive tree inspections are for electric line clearance in declared areas, road clearance or council-owned parks and buildings.
A four-tiered decision review process will be followed if a resident disagrees with a decision made by the council’s tree management team to retain a tree: first-contact complain resolution, investigation, internal review and external review.
If a complaint cannot reach a mutually-acceptable resolution at first contact, a council officer with specialist expertise in tree management will investigate and reach an evidence-based decision. If the resident is not happy with this decision, it can be escalated to the council team for internal review and that can be followed by requesting an external review from the Victorian Ombudsman, the Local Government Inspectorate or a tribunal or court if required.
