Climate-ready street tree trial shows healthy growth

The City’s climate-ready street tree trial is off to a healthy start, with all five trial species continuing to establish well after nine months. 

The City is taking part in WALGA’s Climate Ready Street Tree Trials, a six-year program testing underutilised native tree species that may be better suited to Perth’s changing climate. 

In October 2025, the City planted 48 trees across four locations in Como, Salter Point and Kensington. The five species being tested are: 

• Silver Gimlet (Eucalyptus salubris)  
• Strickland’s Gum (Eucalyptus stricklandii)  
• Jingymia Mallee (Eucalyptus synandra)  
• Lemon-flowered Gum (Eucalyptus woodwardii)  
• Coral Gum (Eucalyptus torquata), which is being used as the control species.  

The City has now completed its nine-month monitoring assessment, with all five species showing healthy growth and establishment. 

The trees are being assessed for survival, health and long-term performance. They have been monitored quarterly during their first year and will continue to be monitored twice a year for the remainder of the six-year trial. 

The results will contribute to a statewide evidence base to help local governments identify tree species that can thrive in future climate conditions. 

The trial supports the City’s Urban Greening Strategy, which aims to increase tree canopy and create greener, cooler and more liveable neighbourhoods. 

Finding tree species that can cope with Perth’s changing climate will help the City build a more resilient urban forest, while providing long-term shade, canopy cover, habitat for wildlife and urban cooling. 

Results from the broader trial will be publicly available through Treenet’s Street Tree Trials Database.