Downloadable Letter ..What trees do

With regard to potential tree removal Croydon Conservation Society would alert you to the following information. The city of Maroondah prides itself on tree cover.

In community forums, tree cover is the single most reason for residents having chosen Maroondah as their place of residence. It is peculiar that people buy into Maroondah and then want trees removed – the question must be asked, why not purchase in another location where there are only knee height plants? Your neighbours place an extremely high value on the amenity of the area as provided by the treed backdrop. Estate agents should have made prospective residents/ developers aware of Maroondah’s Canopy tree protection policy, before purchase.

Maroondah Council also has developed its own planning tool, to be used in retaining those characteristic features of your area.The Neighbourhood Character study, which defines the aesthetics of your neighbourhood, can be viewed on line. In most cases there will be a statement in the “Preferred future character” that will be something like the following –

from Neighbourhood 20 – Wombolano

“Dwellings will be tucked into the landscape, and set in established gardens with tall canopy trees. The sense of enclosure in many streets will be strengthened by the retention of street trees and the use of planting at the front boundaries, often in place of a front fences.”

If your dwelling/ property is on the ridgeline – as viewed from surrounding areas, there is an even greater requirement for tree protection, as the community values the vegetated views of the hill faces and hill tops that typify this area, as they contribute to the overall character of the City, and are valued as a significant component of the view of Melbourne for Tourists, as seen from Mt Dandenong.

From an Environmental perspective – local and global

  • Trees modify temperatures – acting locally to reduce global warming
  • Trees contribute positively to clean air – pollution – reducing CO2 and globally carbon emissions
  • Trees provide sound deadening effects– reducing stress from noise pollution, traffic and other neighbourhood noises.
  • Trees reduce dependence on energy – by cooling the environment and preventing heating of roofs, paving and other built materials, reducing significantly the need to use air conditioning – energy
  • Trees provide green biomass – helping deal with reducing CO2 emissions and increasing oxygen – they are the lungs of our city.
  • Trees modify wind velocity, and in spite of the occasional damage from freak storms, make a very important and significant contribution to Maroondah’s environment.
  • Trees retain ground water – preventing water erosion or flood
  • Trees keep the subterranean ground water table healthy and filter ground water runoff which improves water quality to Port Phillip Bay
  • Trees provide habitat for Maroondah’s extensive birdlife, and fauna such as small marsupials and bark havens and water collection vessels for small wild animals, lizards, frogs, fruit bats all of which live with us in Maroondah.

Croydon Conservation has been protecting trees of this region since 1964, when the Tree Preservation Society was first formed to prevent the potential loss of trees through unchecked development.
Downloadable letter regarding the value Maroondah residents place on trees