City of Logan continues to strengthen its green credentials with a decision to protect two Council-owned reserves and utilise them for tree planting.
Environmental (vegetation) offsets will be established in currently unused areas of Skene Road Reserve at Wolffdene and Newstead Park at Buccan.
Tree planting of the sites will be designed to allow for future community recreational use, including walking trails.
Neighbouring properties to the two sites have been identified as having environmental values, including core koala habitat. It will take about seven years for the sites to become fully established.
The two sites represent about five hectares of land which will be added to the more than 70 hectares of land Logan City Council currently manages for environmental offset plantings.
To date, Council has planted more than 70,000 trees under the offset planting program.
Offset planting is made possible through payments received from developers and property owners to compensate for the environmental impacts of clearing native vegetation.
The funds are spent on creating new native bushland habitats in areas that are forever protected from clearing.
The securing of new offset planting sites follows Council's recent purchase of a 212-hectare property at Greenbank to be preserved as natural bushland and a koala habitat.
Council also earned national recognition last year for its planting and habitat protection programs.
City of Logan was named 'Best on Ground' by the Greener Spaces Better Places network for increasing the city's green cover by 5 per cent at a time when annual population growth was 2 per cent.
The organisation's annual report also found the city's tree canopy had increased from 41 per cent in 2016 to 53 per cent in 2020.
Environment Chair Deputy Mayor Jon Raven said Council was committed to protecting and expanding green space.
"We are lucky to have so many beautiful natural environments in Logan and we understand the important role they play in our lifestyle," Cr Raven said.
"That's why Council continues to allocate millions of dollars each year to improve our waterways and koala habitats, implement species management and bushcare programs and deliver carbon reduction and energy efficiency strategies.
"We know the protection of our natural environment is vital for the future of our city and a priority for our community, which is why these programs are so important."
