Each year we inspect thousands of street trees near power lines and prune trees to reduce the risk of fires and interruptions to the electricity supply.
Trees and power lines
Tree pruning program
We schedule our tree pruning program over a two-year cycle that progresses through designated city blocks. This proactive approach ensures that all street and roadside trees within Glen Eira are regularly assessed, pruned, and maintained in a timely manner. By concentrating efforts on one block at a time, the program maximizes efficiency and reduces overall costs.
A critical aspect of the program is pruning trees near overhead power lines to maintain mandatory clearances. This not only helps prevent power outages and fire hazards but also ensures compliance with relevant legislation.
The minimum clearance distances are specified under Energy Safe Victoria’s Electricity Safety (Electric Line Clearance) Regulations 2020. This means that trees must be pruned so that they do not regrow into the clearance zones throughout the two years before they are assessed and pruned again. Some trees may have a significant amount of their canopy removed to meet the requirements of the regulations.
Tree pruning schedule
The city is divided into 10 zones or blocks, with crews assigned to each area every two years. This schedule ensures that every street tree is evaluated for pruning needs at least once during the cycle.
| Block | Suburbs | Area bounded by | Dates |
| 1 |
Caulfield North |
Dandenong, Balaclava Roads, Hotham Street, Inkerman and Orrong Roads | July 2026 – August 2026 |
| 2 | Caulfield North Elsternwick Caulfield |
Balaclava, Hawthorn, Glenhuntly Roads and Hotham Street | August 2026 – October 2026 |
| 3 | Caulfield North Caulfield East Carnegie |
Dandenong, Koornang, Glenhuntly and Hawthorn Roads | October 2026 – January 2026 |
| 4 | Elsternwick Gardenvale Caulfield South |
Glenhuntly, Hawthorn, North Roads and Nepean Highway | January 2025 – March 2025 |
| 5 | Caulfield South Glen Huntly Ormond |
Glenhuntly, Koornang, North and Hawthorn Roads | March 2025 – June 2025 |
| 6 | Carnegie Murrumbeena |
Dandenong, Poath, North and Koornang Roads |
July 2025 – September 2025 |
| 7 | McKinnon Brighton East Bentleigh Ormond |
North, Tucker, Centre Roads and Thomas Street |
September 2025 – December 2025 |
| 8 | Bentleigh East | North, Warrigal, Centre and Tucker Roads |
December 2025 – February 2026 |
| 9 | Bentleigh | Centre, Tucker, South Roads, Nepean Highway and Thomas Street |
February 2025 – April 2026 |
| 10 | Bentleigh East | Centre, Warrigal, South and Tucker Roads |
April 2026 – June 2026 |
Tree hazards
Trees that pose an immediate hazard or are significantly impacted by storms are addressed promptly to ensure public safety and tree health year-round.
If you believe a tree in Glen Eira needs pruning, contact us.
Not all requests for pruning will result in tree works being scheduled. Our qualified officers carefully consider all requests to undertake works on a Council tree asset and assess if they are required in line with the Glen Eira Urban Forest Strategy, Electrical Line Clearance Management Plan (ELCMP) and our Road Management Plan (RMP).
Download our Electric Line Clearance Management Plan (PDF, 1.4MB), or get a hard copy between 8am and 4pm weekdays from Park Services, 730 Inkerman Road, Caulfield North.
For more information about Electric Line Clearance Regulations, visit www.energysafe.vic.gov.au/industry-guidance/electrical/line-clearance/legislation-policies-and-areas
