Trees

Woollahra Council's Urban Forest is the collective network of trees, vegetation, green spaces, and natural systems that exist across both public and private land. It includes street trees, park trees, vegetation on private properties and bushland.   

Together, these elements form a connected ecological system that supports biodiversity, improves local air and water quality, mitigates the impacts of the urban heat island effect, and enhances the character and liveability of Woollahra’s suburbs.  

Woollahra Council has a suite of tree management documents, practices and planning controls that guide how our urban tree canopy is managed through the protection and enhancement of trees:

  • Our Urban Forest Strategy(PDF, 9MB) is the overarching document that defines the long-term canopy targets for the municipality and outlines the actions, programs and monitoring frameworks required to achieve them across both public and private land.

Together, these documents ensure that the Urban Forest is managed in a coordinated, consistent and sustainable manner, aligning day-to-day decision-making with long-term strategic goals.

As part of our Urban Forest Strategy, we’re working with the community to do more to protect existing trees on both public and private land – as well as intensifying our planting of new trees – to ensure generations to come continue to enjoy a green, cool and leafy Woollahra.  

Sadly, we know there are some people who don’t love our trees, some even intentionally harm trees for their own benefit.

Report Tree Poisoning or Vandalism

We need the community to be our eyes and ears on the ground. If you see someone vandalising or poisoning a tree, report it to our Tree Management Compliance Officer on 9391 7000 or records@woollahra.nsw.gov.au. If you can provide evidence, like photos, videos or the number plates of vehicles, even better. To successfully prosecute offenders, we need evidence, hearsay is not enough.  

There are so many benefits to having trees and a healthy urban forest where we live and work some of these include:

Aesthetic benefits

  • trees create a ‘sense of place’ and provide a distinctive character to an area
  • trees can visually soften hard surfacing of the built environment and screen undesirable sights
  • trees help create social wellbeing through seasonal variations of foliage colour and floral displays
  • trees reflect cultural preferences and particular architectural and historical periods of an areas development.

Environmental benefits

  • trees provide habitat for birds, possums, insects and other native animals
  • trees help absorb water and reduce the volume of water run-off entering the Harbour
  • trees reduce ultra-violet radiation and reduce heat energy absorption from surfaces such as bitumen or concrete areas
  • trees absorb carbon dioxide, entrap airborne pollutants and return oxygen back to the atmosphere
  • trees provide shade to residents and pedestrian using public footpaths.

Financial benefits

  • trees can keep summer temperatures lower and reduce the need for energy consuming air conditioners
  • tree-lined streets and well maintained gardens with trees enhances economic land value
  • ‘leafy suburbs’ are recognised as maintaining higher land value than those areas without trees.
Back to top