Why Bardon’s Tree Canopy Is Driving Cooler Living in Brisbane
Bardon isn’t just one of Brisbane’s greenest suburbs — it’s one of the coolest, with tree canopy helping push temperatures up to seven degrees lower than treeless parts of major cities.
Photo Credit: Nearmap
A detailed aerial survey by Nearmap — conducted across more than 5,000 suburbs between February and March 2021 — remains the most recent suburb-level analysis publicly released, ranking the top nine leafiest locations in Brisbane.
Among inner-city suburbs, Bardon recorded around 34 per cent tree canopy cover, placing it at the top of its category and well ahead of many comparable areas closer to the CBD.
Top suburbs by region from the dataset include Sheldon (66 per cent) in Brisbane’s east, Mount Crosby (60 per cent) in Ipswich, Burbank (55 per cent) in the south, and Pullenvale (52 per cent) in the west. Bardon leads the inner-city grouping, while Wamuran (31 per cent) and Shorncliffe (23 per cent) round out the northern regions.
| Region | Top Suburb by Region | Percentage Tree Cover |
| Brisbane – East | Sheldon | 66% |
| Ipswich | Mount Crosby | 60% |
| Brisbane – South | Burbank | 55% |
| Moreton Bay – South | Bunya | 53% |
| Brisbane – West | Pullenvale | 52% |
| Logan – Beaudesert | Buccan | 43% |
| Brisbane Inner City | Bardon | 34% |
| Moreton Bay – North | Wamuran | 31% |
| Brisbane – North | Shorncliffe | 23% |
At the time of the analysis, around 79 per cent of suburbs in Greater Brisbane had more than 20 per cent tree cover — a figure that placed the region well ahead of other capital cities including Hobart, Darwin, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
Subsequent reporting and planning updates from Brisbane City Council indicate Brisbane has largely maintained — and in some areas expanded — its urban canopy, reinforcing its position as one of Australia’s leafiest capital regions.
Council-led planting programs have continued through the 2020s, with a focus on increasing shade across suburban streets, parks, bikeways and major transport corridors. Earlier figures indicated around 14,000 street trees were being planted annually across the city.
Beyond aesthetics, the impact is measurable. Brisbane’s urban forest has been credited with removing more than a million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, while also reducing urban heat, improving air quality and supporting local wildlife.
Council modelling continues to support long-term targets to expand canopy coverage across key infrastructure — including bus stops, boulevards and major roads — by 2031.
“Brisbane’s urban forest removes about 1.45 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year (equalling around 10 per cent of the city’s emissions),” Council reporting states. “Our tree canopy cover makes leafy parts of Brisbane up to seven degrees cooler than treeless areas.”
In suburbs like Bardon, that canopy is doing more than shaping the streetscape — it’s helping define how the suburb lives, feels and performs in a warming climate.
Did you know that Bardon and many suburbs in Greater Brisbane are seven degrees cooler than treeless capital cities in the country?
