Have Your Say on Baw Baw Significant Tree Register

Published on 09 October 2018

Council is establishing a Shire-wide Significant Tree Register identifying valuable and important trees and invites the community to provide input and feedback for the project.

Development of the register has been endorsed by Council, building on the success of the Drouin Significant Tree Register already established by the Committee for Drouin’s Assets Sub-Committee Friends of Drouin Trees.

Specifically, feedback is being sought on the criteria used to identify such trees.

Council is primarily asking if the methodology used to identify Drouin's significant trees can be applied in all townships across the Shire as a standardised framework, or criteria, for identification of other valuable and important trees.

Once established, the Baw Baw Significant Tree Register will provide clear and consistent criteria for community groups to identify and nominate trees on public land in other townships that are deemed “significant”. The criteria include environmental, historical, cultural, aesthetic and scientific values.

Mayor of Baw Baw Shire Cr Joe Gauci said there is a growing awareness of the key role that trees play in our environment, for both our health and for recognition of our heritage.

“Many townships within our Shire owe much of their character to the presence of significant or iconic trees in streets, parks, reserves and public spaces. These trees may be remnants of the original forests, plantings by the early settlers, commemorative plantings dedicated to important people or marking significant historical events”, said the Mayor.

“Establishing a formal register for our local significant trees will provide opportunities to promote, value and protect trees of considerable size and age. We also want to increase awareness about the environmental and ecological benefits of trees and the positive impact they have on our local biodiversity and wildlife.

“We want to empower other community groups to follow the great example set by the Friends of Drouin Trees and take ownership of this project in their respective towns, with support from Council.

“We’re asking the community to let us know; Are you happy with the criteria and methodology used to identify Drouin's significant trees, and would you like to see this methodology adopted for the identification of other valued trees in townships across the Shire?”

Community consultation is now open for a four-week period via Have Your Say until 5.00pm on Tuesday 6 November.

For full project details or to make a feedback submission, please visit www.bawbawshire.vic.gov.au/HaveYourSay

Any enquiries can be directed to Council’s Environment Sustainability Team on 5624 2411.

Image: The “Grandfather Tree”, a Eucalyptus obliqua located in Drouin’s Civic Park, is among the 258 tree assets listed on the Drouin Significant Tree Register. Standing at over 25 meters high and with a trunk over 2 meters wide, this tree is estimated to be over 200 years old.

Image: Current map of the Drouin Significant Tree Register listing all 258 significant tree assets which are identified as either single trees, avenues (or rows) of trees or polygons (or groups) of trees.