The City of Newcastle celebrated National Arbor Day by joining forces with residents to plant 7,000 native wetland species at the Tarro Reserve.

Volunteers dug deep to plant an area of ​​approximately 1,400 square meters with various types of grasses, shrubs and trees, helping to improve the health of the wetland and restore habitat for local wildlife.

Cr Deahnna Richardson and Cr Elizabeth Adamczyk with City of Newcastle staff and members of the local community at the National Arbor Day tree planting at Tarro Reserve today.

Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the City of Newcastle has targeted areas in the western suburbs where it is warmer in summer for planting urban woodland.

“As part of Newcastle City Council’s 10-year environmental strategy, we are aiming for 40 per cent tree canopy cover by 2045 to cool our city,” said Councillor Nelmes.

“That’s why we’ve planted over 550 new trees in Beresfield and Tarro over the past year. We also celebrated World Environment Day last month by planting 18 trees and 100 small native plants with students from Beresfield Public School.”

Councillor Elizabeth Adamczyk said planting trees and learning about nature together with locals is a special way to celebrate the national event.

“Today’s event has many benefits, including contributing to Newcastle’s biodiversity and vegetation, reducing heat in the city and beautifying a much-loved public space,” said Councillor Adamczyk.

Newcastle City Council celebrates National Tree Planting Day each year at a different location in Newcastle. In 2024, local schools, the community and Newcastle City Council staff will continue to do their part to plant thousands of trees to improve the health of our city’s environment.

Tarro Reserve is a valuable community asset with sports fields, a dog run area and recreational space for fishing and bird watching, making it an ideal choice for our National Arbor Day planting activities this year.”

Today wasn’t all hard work at Tarro. There were also other activities on offer, including wetland tours, water insect netting and nature play. There was also an interactive stall with the City of Newcastle’s invasive species team and crafts with Nuts About Nature.

National Arbor Day is just one of many occasions when Newcastle City Council staff and the community will be donning their gardening gloves to protect and enhance our natural environment this year.

Over the past 12 months, Landcare volunteers, community members and City of Newcastle projects have added over 125,000 native plants to our city along the coast, along creeks, along wetlands and in shrublands.

Newcastle’s Natural Connections and municipal urban forestry programs aim to connect residents and students with local natural areas, including urban forests, wetlands and waterways.

By involving the community, local residents can become stewards of their environment and their physical and mental well-being can be improved.