However extreme heat can be mitigated by increasing urban trees – but with the tree canopy coverage target of 40 per cent across Greater Sydney and Canterbury Bankstown having just 15 per cent, the council has lots of room for improvement, as stated on its own website.
Canterbury Bankstown Climate Action Network, a campaign to plant more trees faster and with a membership base of over 500, wants the council to branch out with its plans, including finalising development of its Urban Forest Strategy, and get a move on.
Yagoona resident Sheila Ngoc Pham says the group is offering to assist with planting trees on public land.
“It’s also vital to tighten up the rules for tree removal and introduce a levy to go into a planting fund, to be paid by landholders when they remove trees,” she said.
“We are concerned the council is not seeing the sense of urgency and have provided them with a list of parks that are in dire need of trees.”
However Mayor Bilal El-Hayek said close to 2,000 trees had been planted in the LGA just in the last two years.
“The council is still developing our Urban Forest Strategy,” the Mayor said.
“The development process for the strategy depends on key data from the State Government which we’re waiting for them to update.”
He said the council provided a number of avenues for residents to plant trees on public land.
“For example, we support ‘National Tree Day’ as well as various local bushcare groups,” he said.
“We’re also working with Greening Australia and Landcare to identify large-scale planting sites and our ‘Community Gardens Policy’ is another outlet for people interested in greening their area.”
For details, visit cbcity.nsw.gov.au.
