On Tuesday 19th November 2024, Greater Sydney Landcare hosted a tree planting event at Lizard Log in Western Sydney Parklands, in Abbotsbury, in the Fairfield LGA.
The event took place on the scenic slopes of the Hilltop Lookout where Creating Canopies staff had dug holes to plant 650 native trees and shrubs with students throughout the day. This hands-on environmental education experience was designed to make a positive difference for nature.
Greater Sydney Landcare partnered with Western Sydney Parklands to plant trees for our Creating Canopies projectβto increase canopy cover to reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney.
For this day, Western Sydney Parklands had organised a Bringing Back the Bush program for 235 Year 3 and 4 students. The students were split into groups and rotated through four activities β a First Nations cultural activity, habitat exploration, mud mapping, and planting trees with Greater Sydney Landcare.
At 10 am the first group of 60 students arrived. The students had 40 minutes to get kitted up, learn how to plant, put their newfound knowledge into action, and return their gear for the next class, before they moved on to their next activity.
Greater Sydney Landcareβs Creating Canopies team hosted the tree planting including:
- Danielle Packer, Creating Canopies Project Manager
- Bryce Doyle, Natural Resources ManagerΒ Β
- Alicia Harb-Akins, Project Officer
- Jonti Baylis, Revegetation Officer
- Michael Keith, Revegetation Officer
- Melanie Wagner, Communications & Engagement Officer
We split the students into two groups by class and three Canopies staff led each class. Each student received a pair of gardening gloves, buddied up and grabbed a small metal pail and trowel.
Greater Sydney Landcare staff demonstrated how to judge the correct depth for planting, clear the hole but retain the soil, remove the plants from the pots while keeping the soil, roots and plant together, bury it adequately, and water the plant using their pail.
The students were given a target to install five plants per pair for the activity, though many groups were able to plant more β one group completed an amazing 12 plants!
The students were all keen to learn and enjoyed the process. Many let us know how fun they found the activity and left with beaming smiles on their faces. Each group was polite, well behaved, enthusiastic and hardworkingβa credit to their school.
Though much of Sydney experienced rain that morning, at Lizard Log the weather was mild β overcast but humid. It made good weather for planting throughout the day.
A cool breeze came through in the afternoon after the students left, as the Creating Canopies team hammered in wooden stakes to secure metal wallaby guards around each plant to protect them from local kangaroos. Animal scat was spotted throughout the day on the planting site, and some kids even added some to the soil when planting for fertiliser.Β The guards will ensure the plants have the best chance to get established without being over-browsed by wildlife.
We hope we made some nice memories for the children and that in many years from now they can return to the site and see the fruits of their labour. Maybe one day they will even show off some big trees that they planted when they were small to their own kids.
Thank you to Western Sydney Parklands, and the primary school students, teachers and all involved in organising the day. Together we’re creating a cooler, greener Sydney.
Investing in Canopy Cover for the Future at Lizard Log
Creating Canopies has planted at Lizard Log twice before – for National Tree Day 2024 and for the Girl Guides NSW, ACT & NT’s 2024 Lark in the Park event.
A second Bringing Back the Bush planting with students was planned for Tuesday 26th November 2024, however as temperatures soared to 38 degrees that day, Greater Sydney Landcare staff installed a further 650 native trees & shrubs at the site unassisted.
Volunteer for Bushcare in Fairfield
If youβd like to contribute to environmental efforts in the Fairfield LGA, you can become a Bushcare volunteer and regenerate bushland. No experience is necessary as training is provided.
Get Involved in Creating Canopies
If youβd 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 Landcareβs Eventbrite page.
Find out more about Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare here. Be sure to download our Corporate Volunteering Info Pack.
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.
