Looking to a Better Future for Victoria’s Significant Trees

The affection Victorians hold for trees is undeniable. We instinctively understand their value. Trees cool our streets, clean our air, provide habitat for wildlife, reduce stress, and make neighbourhoods healthier and more beautiful places to live. As the population of Victoria continues to grow, equitable access to cooling green spaces becomes all the more urgent. 

Yet despite the benefits they provide, we continue to lose established trees at an alarming rate. For example, Stonnington City Council recently released their Urban Greening Framework, which notes that within their municipality, in the last 10 years over 17.9 hectares of tree canopy has been lost within private land, and this trend is likely to continue. 

We strongly support thoughtful development and recognise the need for more housing. But trees cannot remain an afterthought in the planning process. Growth is inevitable, but the loss of mature trees should not be. The real question is how we can best accommodate this growth without losing the special trees that make places liveable and resilient.  

The Victorian Government’s canopy tree reforms introduced in 2025 (Victoria Planning Provisions Clause 52.37) are an important step in the right direction. The reforms acknowledge that trees are critical infrastructure in a warming climate and introduce a uniform permit system across the state for the removal of trees above a certain size, in certain locations.  

Image: Finalist Tree of the Year 2026 – Angophora costata in Prahran

However, canopy protection is not the same as significant tree protection. 

In most cases, the provisions only apply to trees within a certain distance of front and rear boundaries. A tree located elsewhere on a block, no matter its age or significance, is not subject to permit requirements. Recent changes also remove the need for permits within Precinct Structure Plan growth areas. 

Additionally, trees requiring a permit may still be removed if they are deemed, for instance, to be ‘at risk of causing damage to an existing building or … infrastructure’ – a guideline open to interpretation. While the system requires the planting of replacement canopy trees in many cases, we argue that existing significant trees are effectively irreplaceable. 

Unfortunately, at present inclusion on the Significant Tree Register does not automatically provide statutory protection. A tree may be recognised by experts as being among the most important in Victoria and still lack secure legal safeguards. This must change. 

At an absolute minimum, Victoria should provide statutory protection for trees listed on the National Trust Significant Tree Register and equivalent local government significant tree registers.  

These trees have already undergone community nomination and expert assessment. They represent the very best of Victoria’s natural and cultural heritage. 

To achieve adequate protection of significant trees, we call for three practical reforms: 

1. Provide automatic statutory protection for registered significant trees

All trees listed on the National Trust Significant Tree Register, or an equivalent local government register, should automatically require a permit application prior to their lopping or removal, regardless of their location, condition, or any development proposed. 

2. Introduce a ‘retain first’ planning principle

Strengthen guidelines within Clause 52.37 to require applicants to demonstrate that all reasonable design options to retain a significant tree have been explored before removal can be considered. Retention should become the default response, with removal approved only as a genuine last resort.  

3. Support local government to protect significant trees

Local governments are the front line of significant tree protection, but they need sufficient resourcing to identify, assess, and safeguard important trees. We call on the state to support local government through the appointment of a state arborist. 

The Tree of the Year competition celebrates the trees Victorians cherish most. But celebration alone is not enough. If we truly value these remarkable trees, we must give them the legal protection they deserve. Once lost, they cannot be replaced within our lifetimes. 

Otherwise, the trees we vote for today may become the losses we mourn tomorrow.