Tree Management Policy review

Council has reviewed its Tree Management on Public Land policy and is now seeking community feedback on the revised policy.

The Noosa Shire’s landscape is characterised by its abundant green assets. The trees that exist in its streets, parks and open space form a key part of its green asset inventory. Trees on public land are fundamental to the character of Noosa Shire and provide social, cultural, economic, and environmental benefits. They shade our streets and parks, cool and soften our buildings, enhance our streets and they provide homes and food for our local wildlife. Trees in urban areas have a cooling effect that may significantly reduce energy consumption in summer. Trees also prevent soil erosion, filter wind, reduce noise and air pollutants, store carbon and produce oxygen.

Trees also present a risk to both people and property and Council staff try to manage this risk whilst also maintaining trees as valuable assets where possible and safe to do so. This is critical within urban areas as many trees are growing within modified environments which compromise their natural physiology and growth, making them more at risk of developing stress-related health and structural issues which can lead to them becoming hazardous.

While the framework for the policy is retained, details on how council deals with requests for tree removal and pruning has been enhanced. The revised policy aims to:

• better inform the community about the process for decision making
• provide greater transparency and consistency in decision making through greater policy detail
• be sustainable and align with Noosa design principles

Background

Noosa Council manages and maintains a significant number of trees situated on public land within the Noosa Shire. The Tree Management on Public Land Policy is one of a suite of documents used to manage trees on public land in Noosa Shire and is the over-arching document to which the others reference and are guided and informed by.

It applies to all trees under care and control of council on public land within Noosa. For full details on what trees the policy does and does not apply, see the frequently asked questions on the right of this page.

Expectations of the public regarding trees are increasing, evident by tree-related customer requests being the highest category received by Council. However, trees invoke emotive feelings by many in the community who have intrinsic values attached to certain trees, or value all trees for their environmental benefits. Conversely, some community members are fearful of the potential risks presented by trees, especially in relation to storms and bushfire events. Council regularly receives both types of complaints in response to decisions relating to retention or removal of various trees.

Due to finite annual tree management budgets, Council developed a proactive tree management program within its Arboricultural Management Strategy. This allows Council to plan tree works according to annual schedules with efficiency and effectiveness with the aim to reduce the volume of reactive tree works over time. The well-managed urban tree canopy also reduces tree-related risk and liability for Council over time.

Council invites the community to have their say by completing the survey below.