City of Melbourne are working with The Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology (ARCUE) to create a map of the understory vegetation in the city. Citizen Foresters are carrying out vegetation surveys in the city's streets and parks.

Understorey vegetation provides an important habitat for a large number of species. Mapping the extent and complexity of this vegetation will allow us to understand more about the quality of habitat available for a number of birds, mammals and invertebrates in the city. It will also help us to identify potential corridors or areas where habitat could be improved.

Citizen Foresters must undertake a one hour training session that will be delivered by scientists at ARCUE. No previous experience of plant ID is required. Following the training session, you will need to do a couple of sessions of data collection in your own time. This will involve carrying out a simple assessment of vegetation at various locations around the city. We are particularly interested in streetscapes, so it’s likely you will be collecting information from streets in the city centre.

This activity is now complete. Watch this page for more activities in the future. Please note that you must be registered as a Citizen Forester in order to participate in this activity.