Sydney needs an ambitious tree-planting program in suburban areas to boost human health and provide wildlife habitat, as part of a shift to manage cities as “urban forests”, planning experts say.

The concept of the urban forest means urban planners would look at tree canopy at a city-wide level and value trees as assets with economic benefits.

“Land managers are looking at a tree as a liability, they’ve got to prune it, they’ve got to maintain it,” said Peter Davies, associate professor in environmental science at Macquarie University, who is speaking at the Rethinking the Urban Forest conference in Sydney on Friday. “If we went to the other side of the ledger to value the benefits, we’d see that tree or that avenue of trees in a whole new light.”

Some parts of Sydney have high tree cover, such as the north shore and north-west. Credit:James Alcock

Adrienne Keane, a senior lecturer in urban planning at the University of Sydney, said “trees are not always loved” because they drop leaves and branches and damage footpaths or underground pipes with their roots.