Frankston City’s Urban Action Plan is a 20-year vision to grow and care for our city’s trees making our neighbourhoods greener, cooler, and healthier for everyone.
Our urban forest includes all street trees, trees in our parks and reserves, and those in backyards and on private land. Together, they:
- Cool our streets and protect us from extreme summer heat
- Provide habitat for wildlife and support local biodiversity
- Clean the air and improve water quality
- Enhance property values and the character of our streets
In 2020, Frankston had around 62,000 street trees across 450+ species, providing 17% canopy cover.
Our goal is to increase this to 20% by 2040.
Achievements to date
- Since 2021 we have planted 60,000 trees in just three years across streets, parks, reserves, and golf courses.
- Seleted priority planting sites focusing on areas with low canopy, high urban heat, that support biodiversity cooridors, localised flood risks, and high pedestrian use.
Integrated tree planting into other Council projects to make greening part of everyday business.
Branch Out, Help Our Forest Grow.
We’re inviting residents, schools, and community groups to be part of growing our urban forest:
By increasing our tree canopy and partnering with our community to plant trees we aim to make a significant contribution to support our local biodiversity and community, creating a healthier and more sustainable environment for all.
Indigneous tree species attract local wildlife (for more information look up page number in the Indingeous Flora Guide)
Large Yards
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Coast Banksia
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Banksia integrifolia
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Page 57
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10-15m high and 5-10m wide
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River Red Gum
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Eucalyptus camaldulensis
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Page 57
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12-25m high and 15-35m wide
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Mealy Stringybark
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Eucalyptus cephalocarpa
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Page 58
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8-15m high and 5-15m wide
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Swamp Gum
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Eucalyptus ovata
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Page 58
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8-15m high and 8-20m wide
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Snow Gum
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Eucalyptus pauciflora
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Page 59
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8-15m high and 6-10m wide
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Narrow-leaf Peppermint
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Eucalyptus radiata
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Page 59
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10-20m high and 6-15m wide
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Coast Manna-gum
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Eucalyptus viminalis subsp. pryoriana
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Page 60
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8-16m high and 5-12m wide
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Medium Yards
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Lightwood
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Acacia implexa
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Page 55
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5-10m high x 4-6m wide
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Blackwood
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Acacia melanoxylon
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Page 55
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5-10m high x 4-6m wide
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Black Sheoak
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Allocasuarina littoralis
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Page 56
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4-8m high and 2-5m wide
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Small Yards
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Coast Tea-tree
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Gaudium laevigatum (syn. Leptospermum laevigatum)
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Page 60
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Grows 2-8m high and 2-4m wide
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Sweet Bursaria
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Bursaria spinosa
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Page 48
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Grows 2-6m high and 2-3m wide
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Swamp Paperbark
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Melaleuca ericifolia
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Page 50
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Grows 4-9m high and 2-6m wide
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Scented Paperbark
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Melaleuca squarrosa
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Page 51
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Grows to 2-5m high and 1-2m wide
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By increasing our tree canopy and partnering with our community to plant trees we aim to make a significant contribution to support our local biodiversity and community, creating a healthier and more sustainable environment for all.
View or download the Urban Forest Action Plan (2020-2040)(PDF, 12MB)
Trees provide a number of important environmental benefits to our community and to our local wildlife.
Environment and wildlife
Trees provide a number of important environmental benefits to our community and to our local wildlife. These benefits include:
- improve air quality
- provide important habitat value for wildlife
- reduce stormwater run-off, thereby reducing flooding and pollution of waterways
- filter airborne pollutants
- provide shade and cooler temperatures - reducing your energy bills
- remove atmospheric carbon dioxide
- introduce natural elements into urban surroundings
- attract birds and other animals to the area.
Social
Trees are great for the mind and body. They enhance people's health and quality of life by introducing natural elements and wildlife habitats into urban surroundings.
Trees in private gardens and parkland settings provide areas where people can enjoy recreational and social activities, or simply relax in a tranquil setting and read a book.
Research has been undertaken into the physical and mental health benefits that interaction with trees and nature can provide.
Health
There are number of noted health benefits of trees, including:
- lowering blood pressure and cholesterol
- improving people's levels of concentration
- reducing stress
- helping people to create a more positive outlook on life.
Visit the Tress Are Good website for more information.
Aesthetics
The aesthetic value of trees is wide reaching. A tree on your property can be enjoyed by the whole neighbourhood without you even realising it.
Aesthetic benefits include:
- provide privacy
- screen out or enhance views
- act as natural sound barriers
- reduce glare and reflection
- create softness and beauty in streetscapes
- enhance and complement architecture.
Economic
There are many economic benefits that come from having trees on your property and in the local neighbourhood.
Several studies show that retaining trees can increase property values by at least 6.7 %. Removing that tree can cost you $15, 000 or more.
Planting trees to provide natural shade over the summer months is a great way of reducing your air-conditioning bill at home. Trees can also provide natural wind breaks from cold winter winds. This means using less heating and reducing your energy bills.
Planting fruit trees in your garden is a great way of enjoying fresh produce for your family and saving money on your grocery shopping.
Visit our Urban Forest Action Plan page to learn more about what we're doing to promote a healthy, widespread urban forest.
Frankston City’s urban forest is facing many challenges, including climate change, development and funding.
- Continual loss of tree canopy, estimated at 1% loss every four years. This is the equivalent of losing 1.4 square kilometres of tree canopy cover every four years.
- Climate change creating harsher conditions for trees to survive and thrive in.
- Funding and resources that do not yet allow for a best practice tree management program.
- Development and capital works which result in trees removed and not replaced on a continual basis.
These issues, however, pave the way for a series of opportunities for Council to:
- Plant trees where they are needed eg. in areas of social vulnerability to heat, where tree canopy is low, where pedestrian exposure to heat is high such as along footpaths, public transport stops and shared use paths.
- Incorporate a diversity of vegetation such as green walls, green roofs, trees, rain gardens and tree pits within the Frankston Metropolitan Activity Centre where growing space is limited.
- Plant indigenous species along streets that connect and buffer areas of biodiversity value.
- Plant broad canopied trees within areas of localised flooding issues to stem stormwater flows.
To support the delivery of the Urban Forest Action Plan, residents can request a new street tree to be planted in front of their property.
The planting season runs from May to September each year.
Request a new street tree
To help keep track of our growing urban forest, don't forget to pin your planting on our Community Tree Register.