Urban Forest Strategy - Melbourne

The Urban Forest Strategy for Melbourne in Australia (2012 - 2032) seeks to address challenges such as climate change impacts, population growth and urban heating, and protect against future vulnerability by providing a robust strategic framework for the evolution and longevity of Melbourne's urban forest. The dedicated strategy thus aims to (i) adapt the city to climate change, (ii) mitigate the urban heat island effect by bringing our inner-city temperatures down, (iii) create healthier ecosystems, (iv) become a water-sensitive city and (v) engage and involve the community. These aims are to be achieved by increasing the urban canopy cover and forest diversity, improving vegetation health, soil moisture and biodiversity in general and informing and consulting with the community. These aims are divided into six strategies, with one quantitative target each.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Legislative, regulatory and strategic instruments›Dedicated strategy, plan, or law

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Soil quality
Water management (e.g. reuse)
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Watershed restoration/water quality
Drought and fire risk
Flood risk: pluvial and fluvial / soil permeability
Heat stress and heat island effect
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The strategy intends to improve the human thermal comfort and maximise health benefits by providing additional shaded spaces and creating "world class" open spaces, parks and streetscapes. In addition, the strategy targets an improved urban water management, e.g. by increasing rainwater infiltration, supporting rain gardens, bioswales, underground storage reservoirs and biofilters or using alternative water sources for irrigation to reduce potable water use. The strategy further contributes to the Growing Green Guide project to promote green roofs, walls and facades in Melbourne.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Parks and (semi)natural urban green areas

Allotments, community gardens or agricultural areas

Green areas for water management

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Innovative

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

City of Melbourne

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

No information was available on the strategy design process.

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

By using innovative tools, the plan intends to enable the community to ‘have a say’ in the design of landscapes of the future. According to the strategy, community support for the urban forest in the public realm can include: tree-related advocacy groups and trusts; associations that lobby for more street trees and greenery in their neighbourhoods; and others who demand open space and tree protection through better planning, new regulations, and public acquisition. To improve integrated planning, knowledge sharing and communication, the strategy seeks community and inter-professional integration.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Co-design of NBS, implemented by government

Implementation of NBS (e.g. with government funds)

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Researchers, university

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public regional budget

Public local authority’s budget

Corporate investment

Details about instrument financing:

While the funding stability depends on on-going support by the public (such as by the City of Melbourne), business partners are seen powerful contributors to the expansion and success of urban forestry not only through financial support, but also through planting and maintenance of trees on commercial property, and support of civic organizations involved in forestry. According to the plan, some businesses have a direct stake in urban forestry as a function of their own enterprises. Others may be interested in off-setting environmental impacts.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Yes

The Urban Forest Strategy lays out a monitoring concept to effectively review the effectiveness of the measures. Data needs for effectively evaluating the strategy are identified to quantify the value of environmental services provided by the urban forest, to assess tree survival, forest health and to measure structural diversity, habitat characteristics and landscape connectivity.

Did an evaluation take place?:

Yes

Based on the data provided, a continuous review will take place. Different assessments and maps are presented on an openly available platform: http://melbourneurbanforestvisual.com.au/

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

Public workshops have been held for all 10 precincts in Melbourne. Based on these, each precinct derived an own urban forest plan that guides the tree planting and greening in City of Melbourne streets. Precinct plans are subsidiary documents to the City of Melbourne’s 2012 Urban Forest Strategy and form a key component of the strategy’s implementation. Each precinct plan has been developed in collaboration with the community, and is grounded in the science underlying the Urban Forest Strategy. The information provided in the plans direct the annual tree planting program to achieve the Urban Forest Strategy's objectives, protect and enhance neighbourhood character, and to prioritise works and budgets within each precinct.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The Urban Forest Strategy provides an innovative and precautionary concept of renewing and strengthening the urban tree canopy of Melbourne, while taking into account the history of the trees, their adaptation potential, their ecological context and their benefits for the city. This allows the city to anticipate potential impacts to the local tree cover. The interactive website "Urban Forest Visual" (http://melbourneurbanforestvisual.com.au/) supports the strategy, by informing anyone interested with maps, infographics and texts on the status of the urban forest in Melbourne.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Macrotrends (2022). Melbourne, Australia Metro Area Population 1950-2022. Available at: https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/206168/melbourne/population (Accessed: 31 August 2022)

City of Melbourne (2012). Urban Forest Strategy. Available at: https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/community/greening-the-city/urban-forest/Pages/urban-forest-strategy.aspx (Accessed: 31 August 2022)

City of Melbourne (2022). Urban Forest Visual. Available at: http://melbourneurbanforestvisual.com.au/ (Accessed: 31 August 2022)

City of Melbourne (2013). Carlton Urban Forest Precinct Plan 2013-2023. Available at: http://melbourneurbanforestvisual.com.au/ (Accessed: 31 August 2022)

Further documents

Documents:

urban-forest-infographic.pdf

Photos

@ Jane Slack-Smith auf Unsplash