Horsham Rural City Council is planting 500 trees as part of a plan to ensure every house has a tree on its nature strip.
Crews will be planting in the Southbank area of Horsham west of Stawell Road while also backfilling nature strips that are without a tree across the city.
The initiative is a key deliverable in the adopted in 2021.
“Every property that is missing a street has been identified using satellite imagery,” Chief Executive Officer Sunil Bhalla said.
“The best time for trees to be planted is during the cooler months when they are not exposed to heat stress and can establish quickly.
“Residents have been notified of the works and we are keen to get on with the job.”
Mr Bhalla said species have been strategically chosen for each nature strip.
“We are planting mainly natives, with some deciduous varieties in certain spots. Where there are power lines we are using smaller trees and larger trees wherever there is an opportunity.
“Other factors such as neighbourhood character and traffic are also considered when selecting trees to be planted to protect and enhance the urban forest in Horsham.
“The goal is to have a street tree outside every house (where possible). Next year we will focus our attention in other parts of the city,” he said.
New street trees are established by HRCC’s tree management team with two years of watering and ongoing formative pruning.
Mayor Robyn Gulline said Council’s tree planting program supported the goal of increasing tree canopy cover over urban and rural road reserves from 20 per cent to 25 per cent.
“Trees provide shelter and shade. But also habitat for our wildlife. Council’s annual tree planting program ensures we have trees of varying age across the city, and this helps maintain our tree canopy,” Cr Gulline said.
“We hope this initiative will also encourage the community to plant more of their own trees in the future,” she said.
If the street where you live is not part of this year’s street tree program, you can request a new tree for your nature strip by submitting an .
