Urban Trees - Elms of Risby

29/08/2026

Response to Council - The Coast Voice Article August 2026 p37

We disagree with some of the Council’s contentions:

1. Council have acknowledged that engineering plans were designed and then were the trees considered afterwards.

2. The arborist mentioned, plus others, gave different opinions regarding the range of solutions for drainage and mitigation of pavement damage. Drainage into the middle of the street is one example. The evidence suggests that road designs were first settled and only then it was checked to see the impact on the trees.

3. RTI application revealed that the project designer FMG originally recommended that the council consult an arborist independently, however council requested FMG arrange this themselves and emphasised “….It’d be ideal to brief them (the arborist) on the context of the community viewpoint..”. That is, the 13 residents who were consulted who wanted the trees removed.
3. Root zones in the street have not been confirmed. Engineering services that search for tree roots and other buried services have advised us that in many instances of urban trees near pavements the root zones may not be where expected and may not present major problems.

4. Council say trees are nearing the end of their natural life. This is denied. Elm trees can often live for 200 years or more. Trees in Campbell town which were recently preserved during road pavement renewals were scanned with technology to help estimate expected longevity. Previous arborist reports did not state that all of the trees were nearing their expected life nor were the majority unhealthy. Several of the trees that now need removing have been damaged by deliberate poisoning, not natural attrition. Council have admitted that they have not been sufficiently pro-active about addressing deliberate vandalism of these trees.

5. Council has a poor record on improving canopy, despite their rhetoric. The Hobbs parade road renovations from 2017, reveals the decline in canopy cover and the very poor outcomes of previous intervention. It would take approximately 270 of the trees (Crepe Myrtle) that council have designated as replacements for the Elms of Risby St to come near to the current tree canopy cover.

We do not claim that all these trees can or should be saved. We acknowledge the need for some mitigation and intervention for residents of the street to live safely.

We question Council’s genuine commitment to its greening strategy, which is an extremely important document with major implications for the health and well-being of all residents and visitors to the Central Coast.

We call for compromise and evidence based outcomes which also show a commitment to all Council policies and strategies, and which reflect the wishes of the wider community to adopt measures to save the trees and mitigate any negative impacts of the trees as borne out in our community survey.

Central Coast Council
The Coastal Voice

21/08/2026

🏡🌳 We're gathering collections of urban trees from all over the place showcasing what is tolerable and acceptable in streets elsewhere

This is not about tree hugging, it's about understanding and valuing our green infrastructure and what it provides to our community

Risks and inconvenience have to be put into proportion and weighed up with the benefits urban trees provide:

> shade and cooling in summer (when the young, the elderly and the sick are at grearest risk of deteriorating health with the ever increasing hot weather events we are seeing in the NW)

> wind and storm protection 💨💨⚡️💨

> reduce storm water runoff ⛈️⛈️

> calm our minds and improve mental health 🧠🏥

> encourage exercise and connection to community two actions know to reduce the likelihood of dementia 👨‍👩‍👦👩‍👦👨‍👩‍👦‍👦🏃‍♀️🤸‍♂️🚴‍♂️💪👟

🌳🏡 Urban trees essential for our healthy future

Central Coast Council Greeing the Coast strategy stipulates 30% trees cover by 2030, sadly we believe councils actions are not helping to see this realised.

11/08/2026

Lets celebrate Urban Trees

Add your picture and comment what it means to you

Examples from around the corner to far and wide are encouraged

Pruned or unpruned these intersrate trees provide shade, reducing urban heating, divert storm water run off and provide habitat for birds.

09/08/2026

Street trees worth more than their looks

With predictions of a record breaking el nino weather event ahead, likely to produce heat waves which even us on the NW coast feel the adverse effects from on our health and stress on our health care system...then this is not the time to be removing mature street trees.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-31/nsw-el-nino-weather-extreme-heat-australia/106973840

https://www.bom.gov.au/climate/outlooks/ #/overview/summary

Green-blue-grey infrastructure can help beat city heat 🌳🌊🏗️

A research drawing together findings from numerous studies identifies the effectiveness of 51 types of green-blue-grey infrastructure (GBGI) – ie. plant-based, water-based, and built concrete installations – from street trees to vegetated balconies.

Main findings? Botanical gardens, wetlands, green walls, and street trees provide the most effective cooling benefits, while also managing stormwater, reducing flooding, and sequestering CO₂. 🌡️ Street trees stand out for their dual role in cooling and climate adaptation.

The study also acknowledges challenges, including maintenance costs and potential land-use conflicts.

As cities face rising risks of extreme heatwaves, GBGI can help reduce risks for urban communities ➡️ https://ow.ly/8nRL50W3Yxr

07/08/2026

Lets celebrate Urban Trees

Add your picture and comment what it means to you

Examples from around the corner to far and wide are encouraged

31/07/2026

19/07/2026

Have your say https://forms.gle/T9FJpwyfNDf1Zkvz7

25 Elm trees in Risby St are scheduled for removal from one of Ulverstone's most recognisable streets.

Streetscapes belong to the community, not individual residents.

The Urban Trees - Elms of Risby group are pleased to launch their petition https://forms.gle/T9FJpwyfNDf1Zkvz7 calling on council to redesign the road works to retain as many of the elms as possible given the well known values these trees bring to the broader community, our health, economy and environment.

Having stood for generations they elms provide shade, improve our wellbeing and give Risby St its beauty and much much more

Central Coast Council claims that retaining trees is not feasible given the proposed road works, yet best practice says the road works should be designed around the trees

This decision will shape our neighbourhood for decades to come

Have your say https://forms.gle/T9FJpwyfNDf1Zkvz7

12/07/2026

'Tree of the month'

Here's a great idea of a community action to highlight the value of urban trees, the services and benefits they provide.

Great opportunity to raise awareness of Central Coast Councils Greening Central Coast Strategy https://www.centralcoast.tas.gov.au/live/environment/greening-central-coast/

Central Coast Council

12/07/2026

This is why cities need more trees!
This image captures the urban heat island effect in real time. Surfaces like asphalt, concrete, and parked cars absorb and retain large amounts of solar heat, pushing temperatures far above the surrounding air. In contrast, shaded areas and vegetation remain significantly cooler due to evapotranspiration and reduced exposure to direct sunlight.

The difference is striking: on the same , exposed surfaces can exceed 70°C, while shaded ground remains close to 27°C. It is a clear reminder that urban greenery is not just aesthetic — it is essential infrastructure for cooling cities, improving air quality, and making public spaces more livable.

05/07/2026

Twenty-five mature elm trees are slated for removal from one of Ulverstone's most recognisable streetscapes in the coming months.

Council claims retaining the trees "is not feasible given the proposed works." Best practice says the works should be designed around the trees, not the other way around.

These trees provide shade, mental and physical health benefits and a unique character that cannot be replaced for generations.

👉 The community was promised proper process, but the paper trail shows otherwise:

🌳Lack of Consultation: community wide consultation never happened. Council only spoke with a handful of immediate residents, ignoring the broader Ulverstone community who love and value these trees.

🌳Flawed Design: Council copied and pasted a road design from a Victorian town without considering our unique Elm trees and streetscape. They designed the road first, and only brought in arborists to see if the trees would survive the construction as an afterthought.

🌳Lip Service to Strategy: Despite formally adopting a Greening the Coast Strategy, Council is doing the opposite. The current redesign of replacing all 25 mature Elm trees provides less than one third of the current canopy. The Central Coast has less than 10% urban canopy cover. We cannot afford to lose more! The destruction of the Elms on Risby St is not the first example. In 2017 an entire avenue of mature trees on Hobbs Parade were removed for a road redesign and replaced by a handful of small trees with less canopy than before. Council’s record on upholding their own Greening Strategy is dismal.

🌳Council have admitted the value of trees: Initial plans included the relocation of the Elms, which acknowledged their value to the community. This plan was quietly scrapped due to cost.

🌳Green Vandalism policy brushed aside: Council failed to investigate or deter multiple counts of tree vandalism on the street, against their own vandalism policies. Only one sign was installed after relentless questioning. This is a critical oversight, as poisoned trees are at far greater risk of falling than healthy trees.

👉 Why these trees matter to Ulverstone:

Mature trees provide immense community value and have been demonstrated to:

🌳Provide vital shade in the summer, soften the urban landscape, and contribute significantly to the visual character and community well-being of Ulverstone

🌳Encourage physical exercise and improve mental health.

🌳Reduce stormwater runoff by up to 22%

🌳Economically boost surrounding property values

🌳Soften and filter traffic noise

🌳Lower local temperatures in summer, protecting those with chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart failure and emphysema against health deterioration.

Check out some of the references backing these claims up here:

👉Greening Central Coast Strategy:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CgAvntzeT/

https://www.centralcoast.tas.gov.au/live/environment/greening-central-coast/

👉Submission to council by Elm Tree Collective:
April 2025 - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1S8Zab2AnV/

👉Treenet https://treenet.org

👉Watch this for a visual summary of the benefits of urban trees - ‘Tree of all trades’ - https://youtu.be/kyXDjOamDj8

Message if you have specific questions.