Are You Keen For Free Trees?

Did you know landowners in the Greater Sydney region can partner with Creating Canopies to get free trees? 

Who is Eligible? 

We’re looking for private landowners with space for at least 100 trees and public landowners with space for at least 1,000 trees.  

Landowners must have land in one of Sydney’s LGA’s with 30% or less canopy cover – see list here.

Landowners agree to assist with appropriate maintenance activities and allow us access to monitor for six months after. 

Landowners who decide to go ahead agree to become members of Greater Sydney Landcare – which costs $20 per annum.

What is the Process?

Landowners let us know that they’re interested in participating in the project. You can use the form on our Register Your Site for Trees page or email us at trees@greatersydneylandcare.org.

We check your eligibility and speak with you to ensure you understand your obligations under the project – which are to help ensure the survival of the trees after planting.

Site Visit 

A member of our team – a natural resource professional typically – will arrange a site visit with the landowner and together we look at the land.  

We look at where would be appropriate to plant and discuss how many trees might fit. 

We look at the condition of the soil and talk about previous land use, as this can affect the survival rate of the plants.  

Plants Already On Site 

We look at the plants already on site – what native and non-native species are around? 

The native plants on site tell us what species belong there and what is likely to thrive.  

The non-native plants on site tell us what actions we need to take to ensure an installation of native plants survives.   

After the site visit, we prepare a list of native trees and shrubs that grow to 3 metres and above that would be appropriate to plant on your land, and work with you to ensure you’re happy with what will be planted.

Preparatory Works 

We discuss what needs to be done before a planting can take place.

This can include:  

• • Slashing – mowing or brush cutting to remove long grass.  
  • Spraying – to supress and kill weeds that would overrun and outcompete native plants.
  • Ripping – heavy machinery is employed on compacted ground to produce loose, well draining and aerated soil.
  • Mulching – adding a layer of organic material like bark and decaying leaves on top of the soil to enrich and insulate it.
  • Fencing – if required to keep livestock out of the planting area.
  • Drilling – digging holes with augers in advance so that the planting day is quick and easy.
  • Guarding – to protect the plants from browsing animals like kangaroo and deer.

Greater Sydney Landcare can assist with most of these preparatory works as required and negotiated with landowners, though we also regularly collaborate with local businesses across sites. The more trees a landowner wants to plant, the more assistance we can provide.

Post Planting Plan 

We discuss a watering and maintenance regime for after the planting with landowners to ensure a good survival rate.  

Hazards 

We look at what hazards might be around and how to manage them during planting and maintenance – like steep slopes, branches on the ground that might cause trips and falls, whether there’s a nearby busy road or waterbody etc.  

We contact ‘Before You Dig Australia’ before each planting to ensure the safety of people, infrastructure and equipment. This also helps us to avoid a situation where the trees would have to be removed in the future—like, for example, if tree roots ended up negatively affecting something below the surface, like water pipes or electrical cables. 

GSL Membership & Signed Agreement 

Landowners wishing to participate in Creating Canopies become members of Greater Sydney Landcare. This costs $20 per year.

Landowners sign an agreement with us and we can go ahead.

Locking in a Date 

Once we have a signed agreement in place, and a plan for prep works, we lock in a date for planting that works for you.

We will consult with you whether you are happy for a group of corporate volunteers to plant at your site or whether you would prefer members of the community. We also encourage you to invite your contacts to join us on the planting day.  

We order plants, and whatever else may be required including stakes, guards, fertilisers, catering and so on. 

We then create a page on Eventbrite for volunteers to register and promote to our supporters to come plant with us on the day.

Greater Sydney Landcare’s Creating Canopies team hosts a planting day on your land and provides accessible training on the day for a volunteer group to install the plants. If your planting is of a larger scale, we can also employ contractors to assist with planting.

We love to celebrate each planting, so we typically take photos of each event and promote it in our communications.

Monitoring and Maintenance  

We agree beforehand who will water the plants after they are planted. Our usual schedule is one watering on the day of planting, and then one watering a week for 4 weeks.   

Our monitoring schedule is usually one visit a month after planting, one visit three months after planting, and a final visit six months after planting. 

We are also in touch with landholders during this time and discuss what to do if we notice issues like weeds or lower than expected survival rates. 

We may also be in touch after this time to invite you to send us photos of the planting, if possible. 

Volunteer Your Land for Creating Canopies

We look forward to working with you to Create Canopies in Greater Sydney!

Get in touch today.

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.