HEYFIELD TOWN TREE PLAN - YEAR 3

Heyfield Town Tree Plan 2022

Wellington Shire Council is committed to Stage 3 of the Heyfield Town Tree Plan, having completed planting of a further 200 trees in the northern part of the town this year.

Please read the information provided here and once you are ready, complete the online Street Planting Nomination Form using the link below:

• Street Planting Nomination Form

How to select your preferred naturestrip tree

We are inviting select property owners to tell us which naturestrip tree, or trees from the preferred list below they would like planted.

The Town Tree Plan 2022 and Information about the nominated tree species is available on this webpage, or alternatively one can be provided to you by contacting Council’s Executive Officer for Built and Natural Environment on 1300 366 244.

Please follow these instructions to view the Heyfield Town Tree Plan and select your tree:

• Click on the Maps tab here and scroll through to find your property
• Next to your property, look for the marked red and yellow dots. Each yellow dot represents a nature strip tree that will be removed and replaced. Each red dot represents where a nature strip tree will be planted.
• For a dot (or dots) marked on the nature strip(s) outside your property, we would like you to tell us which species of tree from the preferred lists you would like planted. The preferred list of trees is supplied on the Street Planting Nomination Form here and you will find plenty of information about each species in the Town Tree Plan – Heyfield 2022 document here.
• Once you decide on which tree/s you would like, simply complete the survey before Friday 12 NOVEMBER 2021.

If you don't mind which of the preferred tree species is planted outside of your property, or if we do not receive your completed nomination form by Friday 12 NOVEMBER 2021, Council officers will select a tree on your behalf.

About the Heyfield Town Tree Plan

The urban forest is an important part of any town and our long-term vision and strategy is that each town has its own Town Tree Plan that reflects the different characters displayed throughout the municipality.

A healthy urban forest has shown to be critical in maintaining the health and liveability of our townships through:

• Improving and maintaining the health, well-being and happiness of our residents and visitors
• Increasing property values
• Cleaning air and water
• Attractive tree lined streets, encouraging people to visit, work and live locally
• Sequestering and storing carbon
• Providing habitat for native fauna
• Creating healthier ecosystems

The key driver of the Heyfield Town Tree Plan is not about removal and replacement of trees or about significant change to the nature of the town. The purpose of this plan is to create and commit to a long-term sustainable vision for the character and amenity of Heyfield, with a plan to guide urban forest management for the next 50 years.

Tree species selection

Council has selected a range of trees that have been shown to perform well in streetscapes and are suitable for the conditions and surrounding infrastructure. When determining the species selection the following factors were taken into account:

• Neighbourhood character (existing street tree species)
• The ability of the species to survive and adapt to future climate changes
• Available planting space (nature strip width and length, light poles, crossovers)
• Above and below ground services (powerlines, gas, water etc)
• Potential future works (footpaths, road renewals)

Red and yellow dots on the attached maps are indicative of the locations. At the time of planting, the actual location of trees will take into account the site constraints and opportunities.

Heyfield Town Tree Plan - Project Area 2022

As part of works to improve parking and access to Gordon Street Recreation Reserve, we will begin planting an avenue of Eucalyptus sideroxylon 'Rosea' (Ironbark). The dark fissure in the bark and the profuse pink flowers produced in spring, make it highly drought tolerant, having already proven to be well suited to Heyfield.

Over time, and as works continue to formalise Gordon Street, the avenue of Ironbarks will continue to the town limit.

Davis Street 

Davis Street has been identified as a major arterial and as such, an avenue of trees to define the entry to town will be selected. For future works, we will partner with Regional Roads Victoria to improve Davis Street by enhancing the avenue of trees.

Clark Street 

In recent years we have reconstructed Clark Street (from George Street to Harbeck Street). These works saw Council plant an avenue of Lagerstroemia indica (Crepe Myrtle). Where gaps exist in this section of Clark Street, we will plant further Crepe Myrtles.

In the section of Clark Street, between Harbeck and River Streets, ratepayers will have the choice of species from the list of species provided.

Temple Street 

Temple Street has an established avenue and as such, gaps in the avenue will be replaced with the appropriate species to maintain consistency. Tree planting for this will take place in conjunction with streetscape works.

George Street 

With works in George Street already establishing an avenue of street trees, additional planting as part of the Heyfield Town Tree Plan will continue with this theme.

Streets where Council will continue to plant current species to strengthen established avenues, or will select tree species to create a future avenue

More information

Wellington Shire Council is committed to creating a long-term vision and strategy for the urban forest in each town in the municipality. By developing individual Town Tree Plans, each town’s character can be defined and incorporate the community’s feedback at a town-by-town level. The approach to tree planting in each town is quite different and reflects the different characters of each area.

This plan isn’t just about the future, it's also about doing things now. Our objective is to plant a wide range and significant number of street trees throughout Heyfield throughout the next planting season (Autumn/Winter 2022). Tree planting will focus on in-filling existing gaps and replacing the trees that are removed as part of this plan.

The Heyfield Town Tree Plan 2022 has plans showing red dots for where gaps in the urban forest exist. This is where a new tree will be planted. Yellow dots are locations where trees are to be removed and then replaced. A significant and unique part of this program is to let property owners choose from a selected list of tree(s) and select the one(s) that they would like to see on the naturestrip next to their property.

A recent inspection of street trees throughout Heyfield by Council’s arborist confirmed just how diverse existing street tree plantings in the town are. The inspection also identified many opportunities for planting and a small number of trees that should be replaced.

Heyfield's planting and replacement program will occur over the planting season (Autumn/Winter 2022). Property owners that have naturestrips suitable for planting or where trees have been identified for removal are being offered the opportunity to choose a new tree or trees. The Town Tree Plan - Tree Species Information also includes a short description and photograph of each species.

Tree removal and replacement 

The issue of removal of existing trees when street trees are being replanted is a constant discussion point. The conventional approach has been to replant a street (or section of a street) when it has lost the majority of its amenity value. Usually because of the loss of trees over time and the poor condition or high risk of the remaining trees, at this point all remaining trees have been removed and the entire area replanted. This approach is based on aesthetic and the cost of this type of planting is lower because of the advantage of scale.

Council's Open Space Arborist has recently inspected the streets that this plan refers to and has determined the few trees that are to be removed and replaced - yellow dots within the maps. These trees have been deemed as either dead, dying, diseased, or trees with only a short useful life expectancy.

With the delivery of this plan, it is not expected that any further street trees will be removed. Should you have a question on a specific tree, please contact Council's Open Space Arborist on 1300 366 244 to discuss.

What happens next?

Consultation for the Heyfield Town Tree Plan (YEAR 3) is open until Friday 12 November 2021. Following that date, Council officers will collate the responses and order the trees as selected by the ratepayer.

It is our aim to plant out 100% of our nature strips, if you don't mind what is planted out the front of your property, or you don't respond to this consultation, Council officers will select a suitable tree to be planted.

Council's annual tree planting program commences in May and can go through to early September. In this period, trees that have been purchased as part of this program will be planted.

Once planted, we will regularly water the trees for an establishment period of three years which will give them every opportunity to flourish. Council will also undertake structural pruning during this period to ensure well formed, healthy trees develop over the longer term. To further aid tree establishment and growth, we encourage residents to provide additional water through the hot and dry months of summer.