School students, local residents and City of Newcastle staff are digging in to help expand the city’s urban forest as part of National Tree Day celebrations this week.
Around 100 students from Mayfield West Demonstration School will lead the charge during Schools Tree Day tomorrow before members of the wider community are invited to take part in a planting event on Sunday 31 July.
The combined efforts will see around 6,000 native trees planted at Bull and Tourle Street Reserve, Mayfield West, as part of City of Newcastle’s (CN’s) Community Urban Forest program, which is designed to increase Newcastle’s urban forest canopy cover, mitigate urban heat and extend a pocket of habitat for native fauna.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said connecting with local school students and residents to plant trees and learn about nature is a special way to mark the national event.
“By involving residents and students in the implementation of new urban forest at Bull & Tourle Street Reserve, it has a positive impact on Newcastle and improves our community sense of wellbeing,” Cr Nelmes said.
“City of Newcastle cares for a wonderful array of natural ecosystems including 79 kilometres of creeks, 506 hectares of bushland, 65 wetlands, nine coastal rock platforms, 19 hectares of sand dunes along our 10 beaches, and over 90,000 street and park trees.
“These natural assets sustain our local biodiversity, keep our city cool, absorb and store carbon, provide food and shelter for native wildlife, and keep our air and water clean, while also making our city a more beautiful and pleasant place to live.
“I encourage all residents to partake in National Tree Planting Day by heading down to Mayfield West on Sunday 31 July.”
This year CN is partnering with the Lions Club of Mayfield Waratah Blind and Vision Impaired Inc to celebrate 75 years of community service by Lions Australia. The Lions Club will also be running a barbecue as part of the event on Sunday.
The urban forest planting events are another example of the City’s commitment to becoming an International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) City with Nature, recognising and enhancing the value of our natural surrounds, as well as our efforts to be a global local government leader in sustainability.
The community event will be held from 9am to 1pm on Sunday. Gloves, tools and equipment for planting will be provided and residents should bring along a hat and wear appropriate clothing such as covered shoes, long-sleeved shirt and pants. Register attendance by visiting https://treeday.planetark.org/