An urban forest in the City of Belmont

Trees and canopy cover offer many benefits in both a natural landscape and an urban setting. These benefits include cooling, shade and clean air, filtration of storm water and a habitat for birds and other animals.

The City's first Urban Forest Strategy was developed in 2014 to provide policy, management plans and enhancement of our urban forest. Since then, the Strategy has been updated to reflect the latest information and industry best practice framework.  

Read the City of Belmont Urban Forest Strategy 2025-2030

The importance of our urban forest

Council decisions about trees

The City’s commitment to preserving and enhancing the growth of the urban forest is outlined in the City's Urban Forest Policy, which was endorsed by Council in 2019. 

The Policy is designed to help the City:

• Engage and work collaboratively with the community and key stakeholders to implement the City’s urban forest vision;
• Manage trees as a collective (rather than as individuals) to retain and enhance a diverse, healthy, low-risk and sustainable urban forest;
• Adopt a design philosophy for projects to focus on creating a pleasant environment for pedestrians, including landscaping and shade trees;
• Increase canopy cover within streetscapes, public open space and City-managed land with no net loss of canopy cover on this land;
• Implement current industry best practices and standards to help trees grow to their full arboricultural potential.

This Policy is used to guide decisions related to planting, pruning, removing, retaining, replacing and protecting both street and reserve trees.