Penrith Council plants 340 new trees in Chameleon Reserve

Latest News

Penrith Council plants 340 new trees in Chameleon Reserve

March 10, 2021

Penrith City Council has planted 340 new trees in Chameleon Reserve as part of their tree planting project with the NSW Government.

The trees will create a framework of shade, cooling and amenity for users of future paths in the park. Heat mapping was carried out as part of the 2015 Erskine Park Heat Assessment Report, which concluded that tree planting would have a cooling effect on the park and surrounding residences.

Penrith City Council was awarded funding of $150,000 under the NSW Government’s Five Million Trees (5MT) for Greater Sydney program to plant 340 new trees, as well as providing a period of 12 months watering and maintenance to help the trees become established. Council matched the funding with another $150,000 for the project through funds derived from the Open Space Reinvestment Project. 

Penrith Mayor Karen McKeown said the project’s vision is to increase the liveability of Erskine Park by providing a space offering great opportunities for healthy and active living for residents. 

Mayor McKeown notes “we know how important it is to provide cool spaces for our residents to be active and healthy.

“Stage 1 of the project will see more canopy provided in the reserve to enable and encourage immediate use of the park for passive recreation in advance of future upgrades. 

“The tree planting will provide cooling to the adjacent residential areas, too.”

The tree planting grant builds on the work of the Open Space Reinvestment Project, which directs funds to improvements into the open space network in the suburb. 

The 5MT grant program is part of the NSW Government’s strategy to strengthen Sydney’s adaptability to climate change and mitigate the incidence of the urban heat island effect. 

The 5MT for Greater Sydney program supports tree planting across all councils in Greater Sydney.  

28th October 2020 - Banrock Station partners with Landcare Australia to plant 100,000 native trees every year

26th October 2020 - 10,000 trees planted around Tamworth sporting complexes

11th December 2019 - Latest IUCN reports that a quarter of eucalypt trees are threatened with extinction

3rd November 2019 - Armidale residents donate water to save trees in drought affected park

24th October 2019 - City of Melbourne to progressively replace popular Plane Trees

13th October 2019 - Darwin set to plant 4000 trees to create green liveable spaces

14th July 2019 - Cairns Regional Council initiative sees planting of 20,000 trees

12th May 2019 - Woodford Festival site benefits from planting of 100,000 trees

27th April 2019 - Sydney’s Bayside Council to plant 800 trees

6th February 2019 - ACT Committee calls for greater protection for mature native habitat trees

31st May 2018 - Brisbane City Council plants 2.5 million trees since 2007

11th April 2018 - NSW Government to plant five million new trees across Sydney by 2030

11th December 2017 - Eight million native trees planted across New Zealand in 2017

19th November 2016 - Central Melbourne’s trees need to adapt to climate change

24th October 2015 - Ballarat to plant hundreds of trees to create a greener image

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.