More trees for a cooler greener west

Latest news

The More Trees for a Cooler, Greener West program is partnering with Greater Western Water to deliver the Trees for Schools program in 2024.

We will be providing 2,000 trees for schools in the LGAs of Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton, Moonee Valley, and Wyndham to help increase canopy cover and contribute to the wellbeing of schools and their communities.

Check your eligibility and apply for the Trees for Schools program.

Applications open 26 February 2024.

Children planting trees with decorated tree guards

Image supplied by Greater Western Water

Watch the videos below to see more about the difference the program is making across Melbourne's west.

Tree Tracker

Target = 500,000 trees planted

Graph displaying number of trees planted as part of the program. Graph shows progress of 345000 of the 500000 target

Urban tree cover in Melbourne 2018

The western region currently has the lowest tree canopy cover in Melbourne. Urban development that results in the loss of trees and vegetation causes average temperatures in these areas to increase.

This is known as the urban heat island effect, which impacts the health of both people and animals.

2018 Urban tree cover in Melbourne by region — **Source:** Hurley et al. for DELWP, 2019

Region	Tree cover %
Western	5.5%
Northern	12.1%
Inner metro	12.6%
Southern	15.2%
Inner South East	17.4%
Eastern	25.9%

To help address this, the More Trees for a Cooler, Greener West Program will see more trees planted in Melbourne’s west. The program aims to plant trees in urban areas with the lowest tree canopy cover. This is a low-cost option to help address problems of the urban heat island effect as part of cooling and greening Melbourne. Planting trees provides benefits including:

increasing the urban forest and canopy cover for increased shading and cooling
increasing biodiversity by planting a variety of tree sizes and species and contributing to wildlife corridors
reducing urban temperatures, which will help reduce heat-related illness and death. Canopy trees not only cool the surrounding air, but can reduce the temperature of surfaces they shade (e.g. buildings and roads) by 10-25°C
helping clean the air by filtering pollutants and providing oxygen, as well as helping meet Victoria’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2045
providing more accessible green spaces for urban residents for recreation and amenity to increase connections with nature and improve mental and physical health
improving stormwater management through increased filtering and reduced runoff.

Community tree planting events

Please find below opportunities to be involved in community tree planting events, these will be updated regularly. Note that these events are organised and delivered by partner organisations, funded by the Victorian Government through the More Trees for a Cooler Greener West program.

Stay tuned for future planting events in 2024