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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →During Melville’s 2025 local government election campaign, candidates called for stronger mature-tree protections and more planting—but those proposals were not the City’s adopted policy. The City of Melville’s formal 2024 Urban Forest Strategy Review sets an interim city-wide canopy target of 15% by 2050, with progress to be reviewed after the next aerial survey in 2027.
What candidates proposed during the campaign
PerthNow reported on 19 September 2025 that tree canopy had emerged as a key issue in the City of Melville council elections. The report said about a dozen other candidates also referred to environmental protection and canopy in their election statements. That is a reporting snapshot, not a complete audit of every candidate’s platform.
Protecting mature trees
Surya Ambati, a candidate for the Applecross–Mount Pleasant ward, advocated stronger canopy preservation and protection for mature trees facing development pressure. PerthNow reported that Ambati said 70% of residents he surveyed wanted stronger action and that the survey covered more than 6,000 households. Those are Ambati’s reported figures; the article does not establish the survey’s method, response rate, or representativeness, and it was not a City survey.
The campaign report also described proposals for canopy-protection policies and emergency protection orders for threatened mature trees. These were candidate suggestions, not evidence of rules adopted by the City.
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Planting and community initiatives
Drayton Morley, a Palmyra–Melville–Willagee candidate, called canopy his flagship platform and proposed legislation, native-species street-tree planting, jacaranda replacement initiatives, and a “Gee-Trees” program. The reported program included tree adoption for students and families, “Snags for shade days,” and encouraging families to plant a tree for each child born in Melville.
Morley told PerthNow: “It will be a living symbol of our commitment to future generations. Melville families will be able to watch their children grow alongside trees that they have planted.”
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What the City has formally adopted
The City’s October 2024 Urban Forest Strategy Review records average canopy cover of 12.5% and an adopted interim city-wide target of 15% by 2050. The council resolution calls for progress to be reviewed after the next aerial tree survey in 2027. The review’s detailed target calculations use a modeled baseline of 12.45%, which is distinct from the rounded 12.5% public figure.
Why public summaries give a different timeline
A City announcement dated 7 November 2024 described moving from 12.5% to 15% “over the next decade.” That wording does not match the resolution recorded in the formal review, which sets 15% by 2050. The formal resolution is the controlling adopted target; the two timelines should not be combined. The City’s current Urban Forest Strategy page still refers to the 2017–2036 strategy framework.
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State target is separate
At its 3 February 2025 Annual Meeting of Electors, the City recorded questions about the State’s 30% canopy target by 2040. The minutes say the City’s approach was based on its own city-specific modeling and that it would review its framework if State policy required the higher target. The State figure is not Melville’s adopted local target.
Why retention and planting both matter
The City’s 2024 review treats planting as part of the response, but not a quick substitute for keeping established trees. It estimates that a newly planted tree may take 10–20 years to approach maturity and deliver its full expected benefit. Mature trees already provide canopy, so retaining them can avoid a long gap in shade and coverage.
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What the City’s planting estimate means
For one modeled scenario, the review estimates that 34,953 additional trees on City-managed land would move canopy from 12.45% to 14%, at an estimated cost of $22,719,450 (about $22.7 million). These are City estimates based on the review’s model and assumptions—not a costed plan for any candidate’s proposal, and not the cost of reaching the 15% target.
Land, development and local variation
The City’s current strategy page says it does not currently regulate trees on private land. That matters because the City-managed-land planting scenario does not, by itself, settle what happens to trees on private property or in development contexts. The review models residential canopy losses, while the candidates’ campaign concerns included mature-tree removal under development pressure.
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The review also reports different suburb baselines and modeled targets; some are projected to rise while others decline. A city-wide percentage therefore does not mean every suburb has the same starting point or trajectory.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Election result and what is known about the pledges
The City says the ordinary local government election was held on 18 October 2025 and published results on 21 October. Karen Wheatland won the Palmyra–Melville–Willagee ward, but a vacancy remained for a March 2026 extraordinary election. The sources available here do not establish the later result or show that the campaign proposals became council policy.
In its 7 November 2024 announcement, City of Melville Mayor Katy Mair described the review as “not just a reflection of our past efforts, but a roadmap for a clean, green and sustainable future.” The roadmap is the adopted strategy; election pledges should be treated separately unless they are subsequently adopted through a City decision.
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