Launceston City Council aldermen yesterday voted to defer placing the draft Launceston Street Tree Strategy on public display until it included a ban on planting trees along major roads.

This year's budget had allocated $190,000 for tree planting on Bathurst and Wellington streets with the council already planting some trees along Wellington Street last year.

Alderman Jim Cox, who sits on the council's street tree advisory committee, cited advice from Monash University discouraging trees on main thoroughfares.

The university said even vehicles with five-star safety ratings were generally unable to protect occupants at impact speeds above 50km/h.

It also said trees often lead to ``high severity injuries'', even at legal speeds.

Alderman Cox asked that the tree strategy limit new plantings to roads where the speed limit was 50km/h.

The strategy sets a 10-year plan for improving Launceston's streetscape which is noticeably absent of trees, particularly around the CBD and shopping centres in Mowbray and Kings Meadows.

It estimates Launceston has about 18,000 trees made up of 260 species.

The strategy will reduce the number of species into a more manageable palette.

It has identified 68 areas to receive tree plantings, with 50 of these to be planted within a decade.