On Saturday 26th October 2024, Greater Sydney Landcare partnered with Penrith City Council for a Creating Canopies planting at Grey Gums Oval in Cranebrook.
Jess Whittick, Bushcare Program Officer from Penrith City Council said: “We had a great time at our booked out Creating Canopies event! Our Bushcare team, Greater Sydney Landcare and Landcare NSW were joined by 25 participants at Grey Gums Reserve, where they planted 500 plants, including Grey Box (Eucalyptus molucanna), Sydney Green Wattle (Acacia decurrens) and the Narrow-leaved Ironbark (Eucalyptus crebra).”
“Grey Gums Reserve is home to endangered Cumberland Plain vegetation, which is why it’s important that we plant trees and shrubs to help increase the biodiversity in the area,” said Ms Whittick.
Penrith City supports 17% of the remaining bushland of the critically endangered Cumberland Plain in Western Sydney, so events like Creating Canopies are especially important to help conserve the local environment.
Jess let us know that the feedback she received was very positive with people enjoying the day.
This was the second time Creating Canopies has planted at Grey Gums – the first was in November 2023, and was attended by Penrith Mayor Todd Carney, Councillor Robin Cook, Landcare NSW CEO Turlough Guerin as well as a lovely group of volunteer tree planters.
Photos: Penrith City Council.
It was wonderful to welcome back some volunteers who joined us last year to plant together once again, and it was a great opportunity for them to see how the plants they installed last year had grown.
Natural Resource Manager Bryce Doyle and Project Officer Alicia Harb-Akins from Greater Sydney Landcare’s Creating Canopies team were on hand to ensure the planting ran smoothly. They praised the enthusiasm and planting technique of the volunteers.
The mild temperatures on the day made for great planting weather. The group installed native trees and shrubs including gum trees (eucalypts), wattles (acacias), paperbarks (melaleucas), Hop Bushes (Dodonaea viscosa), Kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus), and Coffee Bush (Breynia oblongifolia) which are all suited to the area.
Penrith City Council has partnered with Greater Sydney Landcare to host Creating Canopies plantings since the project began in 2020, and has some great shots of the 2020 plantings’ growth over time.
The trees and shrubs planted as part of the event will improve the quality of the bushland and biodiversity, provide habitat for animals such as birds, and over time increase the green canopy to help cool and shade the area, which forms a part of the Great West Walk.
“After planting, we enjoyed a delicious morning tea at the new outdoor garden space along the bush food trail on the Great West Walk,” Ms Whittick said.
Thank you to Penrith City Council and all the amazing volunteers for caring for nature and making this fantastic day happen. Together we’re creating a cooler, greener Sydney.
Volunteer for Bushcare in Penrith
If you’d like to contribute to environmental efforts in the Penrith LGA, you can become a Bushcare volunteer and regenerate bushland. No experience is necessary as training is provided.
Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare
Find out more about Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare here. Be sure to download our Corporate Volunteering Info Pack.
Get Involved in Creating Canopies
If you’d like to find out how to get free trees planted on your land, visit our Register Your Site for Trees page.
Come along and plant trees with Creating Canopies. Find out what events we have coming up on Greater Sydney Landcare’s Eventbrite page.
About Creating Canopies
Landcare NSW and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 200,000 trees as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.
