Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, in a four to two vote, agreed for the council to consider the incorporation of an action to develop an urban forest strategy for urban and suburban areas as part of formulating the draft Climate Change Response Strategy and supporting action plans.

Cr Peter Alley raised the matter at the July council meeting.

The vision of an urban forest strategy is to protect, plant, and manage trees to create a diverse, resilient and beautiful urban forest on public and private lands across the urban and suburban areas within the local government area.

It would include trees in streets, parks, public spaces and backyards.

Cr Alley said the draft Community Strategy Plan engagement report showed 59 per cent of our community wanted to see more trees in home gardens, 71 per cent of our community wanted to see street gardens in urban areas, 73 per cent wanted to see more street trees, they wanted to see more habitat for wildlife and they wanted to see more native plantings.

"We need to actively be taking on a leadership role in ensuring that our urban and suburban areas become greener," he said.

Cr Alley said he raised the urban forest strategy as an opportunity for all the council election candidates to embrace the idea that we needed to be actively involved in greening our neighbourhood.

Cr Alley is not seeking re-election at the next council poll.

Deputy mayor Lisa Intemann said she supported the notion of more green in the local area for purposes of heat management and shading.

She said there had been experiments done overseas with very small trees with great success and she would like to see the council proceed down that path and explore the benefits that might be found.

Cr Sharon Griffiths, who spoke against the matter, said she believed the council had more important things to do and the matter was already taken up as part of the planning proposals so there was street planting in new estates.

Mayor Peta Pinson said while she acknowledged the sentiment, the council could not tell people about what they must be doing in their own yards but the council could be more proactive in the way it presented the region as far as plantings were concerned.

"There are a lot of council areas that are doing this incredibly well and presenting themselves exceptionally well, especially in their gateways towards their local government areas," she said.

The mayor also spoke about being mindful with developers as to how they presented subdivisions and entrance ways.

Cr Alley said the strategy was not about dictating which trees could be planted in people's yards but about providing leadership from council on improving our whole neighbourhood.

Cr Rob Turner described the urban forest strategy matter as visionary and strategic.

Crs Peter Alley, Geoff Hawkins, Lisa Intemann and Rob Turner voted in favour, while mayor Peter Pinson and Cr Sharon Griffiths voted against.

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