Benchmarking of Redland City Council’s vegetation management processes shows the city is closely aligned with other regions on mitigation activities for severe weather.
Mayor and Local Disaster Management Group Chair, Jos Mitchell, said Council had recently worked with other Queensland councils to compare vegetation management practices between areas and identify learnings from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
“This benchmarking process was undertaken proactively after the cyclone and found that Council’s vegetation management activities for severe weather mitigation are comparable to councils in North Queensland,” the Mayor said.
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“This region was selected for benchmarking as it has a tropical climate and is prone to the kind of weather that hit our region during the cyclone.
“There is alignment across several key areas, including policies and guidelines for managing trees on Council land, approved tree species planting lists, and the arrangements in place with contractors for responding to weather events.
“The benchmarking process also showed that one of Council’s key strengths is the Memorandum of Understanding it has in place with Energex to mitigate severe weather impacts on the city’s energy network.
“Activities undertaken in partnership with Energex include quarterly meetings to coordinate vegetation management near powerlines and the proactive removal of unsuitable trees to protect electricity assets.
“Council is also reminding residents to ensure they are trimming trees and other vegetation on their own properties, where appropriate, to prevent fallen branches and other damage from occurring during severe weather.”
The report into the vegetation management processes benchmarking was presented at Council’s General Meeting this week (12 November 2025).
Cr Jason Colley, who brought a Notice of Motion to the General Meeting of Council in April seeking to identify learnings from other council areas, said the process had provided valuable insights into mitigation activities.
“This report was about comparing our processes to other local governments and, as the results show, we measure up well when compared with our counterparts in North Queensland,” Cr Colley said.
“This is reassuring news for our community as we head into the new severe weather season.
“Council will continue to carry out a range of vegetation management activities to prepare for future weather events, while also implementing key learnings identified during the benchmarking process.
“This will include refining tree selection and planting practices and expanding the proactive tree maintenance program, as well continuing data collection activities and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders such as Energex.”
