Draft Hunters Hill Urban Forest Strategy

Our Vision

A healthy, resilient and diverse urban forest for the enjoyment and well-being of the Hunters Hill community and its patrons now and for future generations.

Objectives

Council is going to prepare a draft Hunters Hill Urban Forest Strategy 2024. The key objectives of the Strategy will include:

• proactive tree protection measures
• strategic tree planting targets
• adoption of best management practices
• community stewardship and engagement

Overview

Hunters Hill is recognised as “Australia’s first Garden Suburb,” and not surprisingly one of the most desirable and liveable LGA’s in Greater Sydney today. The Hunter's Hill Council area is renowned for its iconic tree-lined streets, its leafy family-friendly parks, and its green bushland areas that both frame and highlight the rich heritage and character of its suburbs. Collectively, these private and public trees make up the Hunters Hill Urban Forest. They provide a cooling shade-cast in summer, shelter in winter and a mosaic of vibrant colour in both spring and autumn. In addition to these eco-benefits, our urban forest impacts the community's environmental, social and economic characteristics.

However urban forests are facing a new set of challenges these days that need addressing. This includes the impacts of climate change, urban heat islands, irreversible arboriculture impacts and tree loss due to development, and the pressures of urban densification. In response to these challenges, Council is proactively developing a draft Urban Forest Strategy. Council's key initiatives, goals and actions for our urban forest will be outlined in this Strategy, with a specific focus on increasing the quantity and quality of the community’s tree population. The overarching goal we want to achieve is greater tree canopy coverage across the local government area. This will in turn increase the eco-benefits of a healthy urban forest by enhancing ecosystems, biodiversity, and habitat creation in the community.

Community consultation

Community consultation is currently being undertaken to inform the strategy via the below survey.

The survey explores various key aspects related to urban forest awareness including usage patterns, priorities for improvement, community interest and involvement for future initiatives. It aims to gather diverse perspectives and preferences to inform the development of a draft Urban Forest Strategy.

The consultation period closes on Friday 21 June 2024.

Feedback from the consultation will be considered in the development of the draft strategy.