We love them, just not on our property. And vendors are paying the price

Let’s start with a riddle. What makes our homes more valuable when it is between 10 metres and 20 metres away from us, but costs us when it is any closer?

The answer, according to new research, is trees.

A team of researchers led by Associate Professor Song Shi from the School of Built Environment at the University of Technology examined 1500 house sales in the City of Sydney between 2021 and 2025 and found that after accounting for other factors such as the number of bedrooms, land size car parking and proximity to the CBD, those with trees between 10 metres and 20 metres from the house increased the value of a house by $30,000.

However, those with street trees within a 10-metre radius of the house actually reduced the value of properties by up to $70,000.

For those who work with and have studied trees in urban environments, both in residential and public spaces, the findings are unsurprising. Most people, they say, love trees – just not on their property.

Street appeal

Landscape architect Matt Cantwell from Secret Gardens said it is not difficult to see where street trees have added value to neighbourhoods.

“You think about the feeling you get when you drive up Ocean Street, Woollahra or Paddington Street in Paddington,” he said. “There’s a sophistication, maturity and an elegance to the street.”

However, he said that value – real and perceived – often stopped at the front gate for many home owners.

“Every single client I meet with, there is going to be conversations about trees along the lines of ‘why have trees?’,” Cantwell said. “Some clients like everything perfect and in order, or they don’t like seasonal change.”

Add in locations where trees may obstruct water views, and the opposition to trees is even bigger.

“There’s a continuous stream of people poisoning trees [for views] and the fines are not big enough to discourage them from doing it.”

Some concerns, said Cantwell, are warranted, especially when it comes to tree roots.

“Some people underestimate the limitations having a tree will have on something like the placement of a pool,” he said.

Depending on the species of tree, roots can extend well beyond the canopy and, if the tree has to be retained, the roots also need to be protected.

But, Cantwell argued, some trees are more problematic than others.

“If you have fig trees and liquidambars close to a structure, you are possibly asking for trouble,” he said. “With significant trees, you need to give them a wide berth.”

However, he said trees serve various purposes, from creating structure in the garden to reducing energy bills.

“[As designers] we put trees in because we need a focal point, or we want something sculptural or to provide scale against a building. They provide atmosphere.

“But a tree [also] has countless environmental benefits providing summer shade or winter sun. If it’s a deciduous tree, it impacts on power consumption. We use aircon unnecessarily because we have not incorporated trees into the design.”

Not next to my backyard

Environmental services project manager for Greater Sydney Landcare Danielle Hughes is used to resistance from residents.

“In certain areas I have noticed a lot of land-holders don’t like trees,” she said. “They see them as messy or dangerous. Gum trees dropping branches is the main reason, although we proposed planting [tubestock] behind someone’s house and they were worried about the tree attracting more ants into their yard.”

But she says the real benefits of trees on your property outweigh the perceived risks.

“Mature trees can cool your surrounding area by almost 10 degrees, which is significant as we tackle climate change,” she said. “Having trees strategically placed can reduce cooling costs by 20 to 30 per cent because they are shading roofs and windows and mitigating the urban heat island effect.”

Dr Nader Naderpajouh noticed that when he moved to Sydney, some streets, such as Parramatta Road, were labelled as “ugly” while others were considered beautiful.

“I asked myself what stood out,” he said. “The shops were the same, the footpaths were the same, the only thing missing was trees – and people didn’t even recognise them.”

Head of the School of Project Management at the University of Sydney, Naderpajouh and PhD candidate Amir Pakizeh investigated the amount of tree canopy across Sydney, and found some suburbs were missing out on the benefits of street trees, including incidental shade and cooler micro climates during summer.

“We looked at which neighbourhoods have increased or decreased their trees,” he said. “A lot of western Sydney had increased tree coverage, including places like St Marys and Blacktown, but neighbourhoods like Liverpool had decreased. In Liverpool, it might be the result of the expansion of the new airport and construction going on, but that needs further study.”

No trees, no maintenance

National president of the Australian Institute of Architects Adam Haddow said the reluctance to have trees on private property was often down to a perception that they required too much maintenance.

“Australian natives are known for dropping stuff,” Haddow said. “In the worst case it’s branches, in the best case it’s flowers. People do get testy about that. Will the lawn grow well under it, or will it drop stuff into the pool or will I always have to use the blower under it?

“It’s about a lack of time or a lack of slowness.”

Melbourne architect Ande Bunbury agreed that part of the appeal of street trees is that they are someone else’s problem.

Bunbury has worked on several projects where existing trees were protected and designed around. It can add further complexity to accommodate a living tree into a deck or building but, she said, the results are worth it.

“Over the recent long weekend I listened to the magpies carolling. That’s becoming rarer because we don’t have the big trees around in the inner city.

“I don’t think there are many people who would say they don’t love nature.”