Public Exhibition of Draft Wellington Street Tree Master Plan
The draft Wellington Street Master Plan document provides a strategic and prioritised framework to assist in the enhancement of the street environs of Wellington.
A recent assessment of Wellington and Montefiories tree canopy covers showed that a total of 12% and 17% respectively. Under this plan it is proposed to increase the total canopy cover of the urban area to 30% by 2050. This will be achieved through additional street tree planting and through infilling vacant sites.
It has been previously identified that Wellington did not have an existing street tree master plan that would enable for a strategic approach to be taken. A priority street tree planting plan is also provided as part of the plan to help provide equitable planting to all members of our community.
An important part of the plan is to increase the tree species diversity throughout the township. This increase in diversity will help build resilience to climate change and potential pest and disease introduction.
The draft will be on public exhibition until open of business 9am, Thursday 30 March 2023.
Documents can also be viewed in person at Council’s Customer Experience Centres in Dubbo and Wellington; corner of Church and Darling Street, Dubbo; Cnr Nanima Crescent and Warne Street, Wellington.
Written or electronic submissions are invited during the public exhibition period.
Following completion of the public exhibition period, all submissions provided to Council will be reviewed and a report prepared for the consideration of Council at a future Council meeting.
Please note that, in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act 1998, submissions received by Council containing personal information may be made public when the matter goes before Council for consideration, as it may be included in Council’s Business Papers. Persons have the right to remain anonymous if they so choose by refraining from submitting their personal information, however, the submission may be given less weight in the overall assessment and consideration.
Written submissions should be addressed to:
Chief Executive Officer
Dubbo Regional Council
PO Box 81
Dubbo NSW 2830
Email: council@dubbo.nsw.gov.au
DOCUMENT AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING:
DRC Draft Wellington Street Tree Master Plan (PDF 16.3MB)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How many street trees are there in Wellington?
There are approximately 3,500 street trees in Wellington/Montefiores. There are additional public trees in the parks and around the sporting facilities within the urban area.
What is the rationale of planting deciduous trees on east/west streets and non-deciduous trees on north/south streets?
Planting deciduous trees on the east/west running streets allow for improved solar access to the southern side of the street during winter. During spring through to early autumn they provide shade to north facing properties and help reduce the temperature.
The master plan shows that the Claret Ash trees are being replaced by other species.Why are they being replaced?
Claret Ash was once widely used as a street tree in many communities. However, they suffer from a dieback from an air-borne and a soil-borne pathogen. Once the tree is infected the tree dies back from the tips and ultimately dies. There is no cure and an infected tree will quickly infect other nearby trees.
Rather than replanting Claret Ash, other trees including other Ash trees, are being proposed to help maintain a similar street amenity.
Why is Council looking at introducing more species diversity in the Wellington tree population?
Wellington currently has a relatively narrow tree planting palette that could result in widespread tree loss if a disease enters the population. As identified above Claret Ash is susceptible to disease and some of the trees in Wellington are already infected. With nearly 20 per cent of the trees in Wellington being Claret Ash Council wants to build more resilience into the tree population.
Why does Council want to set a tree canopy cover for Wellington’s urban area?Is the target of 30 per cent by 2050 achievable?
Setting a target enables Council to set planting programs and also to apply for grant funding to help achieve the target. Council believes that the target of 30 per cent by 2050 is achievable through the planting of street trees, including vacant sites, as well as increased planting within other public areas such as parks, ovals and urban reserves.
Shouldn’t Council be setting a higher tree canopy target?
Council needs to set a realistic target and take into account the large percentage of the existing tree population that is likely to succumb to disease over the next 15 – 20 years. The identified target of 30 per cent takes these projected losses into account and allows time for new trees to start to develop their canopies, so they can provide a contribution to the overall canopy target.
Why does Council plant exotic trees rather than just planting endemic species?
Endemic species are an important component of providing resilience to a warming climate and this is reflected in the proposed master plan. However Australia has very few deciduous trees which provide seasonal variation such as flowering and autumnal colour. Many people enjoy this visual change of season and this needs to be considered as part of providing a public urban forest for our community.
Why does Council prioritise street tree planting?
Prioritising street tree plantings increases the efficiency in planting trees and enables Council to maximise the number of trees planted. From a longer term management perspective it can also help reduce the ongoing costs of maintaining these trees into the future as they should be of a similar age, structure and size.
Why are smaller trees used in some streets or different sized trees in the same street?
To help reduce the recurrent costs of maintaining clearances around power conductors Council actively choses trees that suit a particular site and the constraints that exist. Planting large trees that require ongoing pruning costs a significant amount of resources and produces a poorly structured tree.
Why are there up to three trees chosen for some streets, and not for all?
Planting deciduous trees on the east/west running streets allow for improved solar access to the southern side of the street during winter. During spring through to early autumn they provide shade to north facing properties and help reduce the temperature.
In some streets there are either no trees or very few trees which give residents the opportunity to help decide their streetscape. In these cases Council will approach the residents and ask them to vote on which tree they prefer. In most cases the most popular tree chosen by the residents will be the tree species planted.
Where there is two species identified it may be that there are two dominant species already existing in the street. Either tree may therefore be a suitable species.
In some cases only one tree species is identified. This may be a result of an existing tree planting program with an identified species. An example of this would be Nanima Crescent where Acer freemanii “autumn blaze” has been chosen.
Last Edited: 02 Mar 2023