Brimbank Council has welcomed a recent government announcement that some tree planting in the City of Brimbank will be funded under the State Government’s ‘More Trees for a Cooler, Greener West’ project.
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio announced the first grants for local councils and other public land managers bodies under Phase 1 of the initiative, which will invest $5 million to fund more tree planting in Melbourne’s west over the next two years.
Brimbank Council, the Department of Transport and Parks Victoria will receive funding to support a range of tree planting projects in the City of Brimbank. This includes:
- Council planting street trees in St Albans and Kings Park as an extension of Council’s Street Tree Planting Program
- Department of Transport and Brimbank Council are partnering in enhancing the Boulevard tree planting along Sunshine Avenue, St Albans
- Department of Transport is planting more trees along the shared user path on the Deer Park bypass freeway reserve, Derrimut
- Parks Victoria planting more shade for park visitors at Brimbank Park, Keilor and Organ Pipes National Park, Keilor North
Council receives $250,000 as part of Phase 1 funding.
This planting will help provide greener streets and spaces and supports Council’s long term effort to create a cooler greener Brimbank.
Council is committed to the greening of Brimbank through the delivery of its Urban Forest Strategy (2016) that seeks to increase tree canopy cover to 30% by 2046.
Brimbank tree canopy cover has risen from 6.2% in 2016 to 10.2%. This increase is the result of Council planting around 280,000 trees in streets and parks in recent years. As these trees grow, they will provide more shade and increase canopy coverage. In addition Council currently has about 350,000 mature trees in Brimbank parks and streets.
The two new tree polices adopted recently – the Brimbank Tree Policy and the Significant Tree Policy – will guide the way Council works towards achieving increased canopy coverage and improving the character, identity and liveability of our city.
Council’s active involvement in the regional Greening the West (GTW) partnership since 2013 is also helping it deliver green outcomes across Brimbank and all western suburbs.
Brimbank City Council acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government through the More Trees for a Cooler, Greener West initiative.
Quotes to be attributed to Brimbank Mayor Cr Ranka Rasic:
“Council thanks the State Government for supporting our drive to create a greener, cooler Brimbank.
“The State Government funding announced for tree planting in Brimbank, responds to Council’s call for more investment in greening our spaces, as advocated through our 19 Point Action Plan for COVID Response and Recovery.
“Delivering a greener, cooler Brimbank remains a key priority for Brimbank.
“Council is working hard to ensure we plant more trees to increase our canopy coverage and create greener, cooler and more sustainable spaces for our community.”
