As the weather cools down, tree planting season begins, with more than 300 Studley Park Gum trees going in the ground at Westerfolds Park in Templestowe, and Montpelier Reserve in Lower Plenty.
Trees will also soon be planted in local streets and parks in Nillumbik north of the M80 Ring Road and Greensborough Bypass.
Responses to a community survey from nearly 800 people from 100 suburbs have helped shape this next step in our early tree planting program – with more early planting locations still to be decided.
We’re working closely with Banyule, Boroondara, Manningham and Whitehorse councils on the next places to plant trees early for North East Link later this year.
The Studley Park Gums planted in Westerfolds Park and Montpelier Reserve are a hybrid of the River Red Gum and Swamp Gum and will increase the number of these significant trees in Melbourne’s north-east.
The trees were grown at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria nursery from seeds collected last year and planted along the Main Yarra Trail so more people will be able to see these unique Victorian trees up close.
Trees to be planted in Nillumbik over the coming weeks include close to 100 native flowering eucalypts for Brinawa Reserve, Pooh Park, Weemala Court Reserve and Plenty River Drive Reserve, Greensborough.
11 local streets nearby have also been selected for early planting including Booyan Crescent, Collendina Crescent, Dwyer Place, Eastgate Drive, Evrah Place, Goolgung Grove, Goonyah Court, Kilarney Ridge, Senbin Court and Tuta Court.
Other tree planting for this year includes Belle Vue Primary School, Balwyn North, Watsonia Primary School, Watsonia, Simpson Barracks, Yallambie and for North East Link sports upgrades at Ford Park, Bellfield, Binnak Park, Watsonia North and Greensborough College, Greensborough.
As part of our early works program, we’re giving each tree in areas where North East Link works are taking place a unique ID number and recording information about its species and size. This helps to map existing vegetation before works start, and to identify which trees need to be protected, and which trees need to be removed and replaced through new planting.
This approach will make sure trees are better protected in and around work sites after 2 trees along the Eastern Freeway inside the project area that should have been kept were removed during site preparation.
The area needed at the site was adjusted so other trees could be kept and the new identification program will have the added benefit of allowing their ongoing health to be more effectively monitored throughout the construction period.
Read the community tree planting survey report (PDF, 5.5 MB) and find out about the North East Link Project tree planting program.