Street and Reserve Trees

The Hume Street and Reserve Tree Policy is used by Council to manage the City's trees.

View our policy, related strategies, notes and procedures:

• Street and Reserve Tree Policy
• Working Around Trees Fact Sheet(PDF, 724KB)
• Tree Protection Procedures (PDF, 698KB)

Hume City Council has developed an annual Electric Line Clearance Management Plan(PDF, 6MB). The plan supports Council in working toward compliance with the Electricity Safety (Electric Line Clearance) Regulations 2020.

Council plants approximately 5,000 street and park trees between May and September each year. Appropriate species are selected, determined by factors such as the species planted in the rest of the street and species suitability to the site.

Council is responsible for the planting and maintenance of trees on Council nature strips throughout their entire life cycle and doesn’t usually allow residents to plant trees on Council land. Residents may suggest what kind of tree gets planted (e.g. native, evergreen, deciduous, flowering etc.) however Council will make the final decision as to what species of tree is planted.

To request for Council to plant a tree, contact Council on 9205 2200. 

Proactive tree inspections

Council has a proactive inspection and pruning program, where each street tree is inspected by a qualified arborist.

These inspections assess the health and structure of the tree and identify if any pruning or removal works are required. If street trees are underneath powerlines, they are assessed by a qualified arborist every 12 months for compliance with the Electricity Safety (Electric Line Clearance) Regulations 2015.

Reactive tree inspections

Council’s arborists also conduct reactive tree inspections.

To request a tree inspection of a Council tree, contact Council on 9205 2200.

Please be aware that Council will not:

• remove nature strip trees unless they are structurally unsound, dead or in decline.

• ‘top’ trees unless they are underneath overhead power lines or the top of the tree is dead.

• remove trees for shade or debris or allergens or because they attract bees or other fauna.

Debris from a Council tree

If you are a resident and are experiencing difficulties with debris from Council’s trees,  you may be eligible to access Home Maintenance Assistance by contacting the following services: 

• for residents over 65 years or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders over 50 years they can contact My Aged Care 1800 200 422
• for other residents having difficulties please contact the Intake Officer – Aged and Disabilities Services on 9205 2839.

 Any access to these services would require an assessment to be undertaken. 

Before installing solar panels, please consider the impact of mature and established street trees. Further information can be found in the Solar Power and You factsheet.(PDF, 912KB)

Council does not remove trees that were planted prior to installing solar panels. The tree was an existing condition and the solar panels should have been placed taking in to account the future growth of the tree and in consultation with your solar panel provider.

Generally, trees recover from infestation without human intervention. Some of Council’s trees require proactive treatment for insects, for example, our elm trees require treatment for elm leaf beetle.

Sometimes, trees need to be protected from our native fauna, for example the leaves of mature red gum trees can be eaten by possums, and if the possums are not prevented from accessing the canopy, the tree may die.

Only heavily grazed trees have possum guards installed on the trunks, allowing possums to graze other trees in the surrounding open space.

Properly constructed and maintained pipes are designed to withstand normal tree root and traffic loadings. Tree roots can enter a pipe in poor condition, through cracks in the pipe or joins. Once tree roots enter, blockages can occur as the pipe is an excellent growing environment for the roots. The condition of the pipe can be determined by a licensed plumber, who can remove the roots and repair the pipe to prevent the roots from re-entering.

Council should be advised if roots of the Council tree are to be damaged or removed, other than those within the pipe. You will also need to apply for a Consent to work within a Hume City Council road reserve permit. A Council arborist can assess and determine the best course of action in relation to root pruning if required.

It is the land owner's responsibility to maintain the stormwater pipe from the kerb and channel adjacent to the road back to the connection within the land owner's property. Therefore, any blockages or repairs necessary are the land owner's responsibility. Please see the illustration outlining the Stormwater Drainage Maintenance Responsibilities, or contact Council on 9205 2200.

Council has a Residential Naturestrip Policy(PDF, 2MB) which provides information on the construction of naturestrips and approved alternative treatments.

The installation of a new cross over (commonly known as a driveway) or extension of an existing cross over may impact the existing street tree.

Apply for a permit

An application must be made for a Consent to work within a Hume City Council road reserve permit.

Permit fees

If the request to remove the tree is approved there will be a fee charged. The amount of the fee depends on the size of the tree and covers the removal of the tree and stump, and the purchase, planting and establishment maintenance of the replacement tree(s).