It builds on Tiny Forests planted at Tarrawanna, Keiraville, Berkeley and Fairy Meadow
Key points:
- Tiny Forests are a key component of Council's Urban Greening Program
- Replacing grass with a dense mix of trees, shrubs and groundcovers creates up to 30 times more green surface area than turf alone.
- Tiny Forests support Council's efforts to reach 35 per cent canopy cover by 2037
- The Primbee Tiny Forest is Council's first project supported by the NSW Government's Greening Our City grant program
Primbee will get a whole lot greener in years to come thanks to the efforts of some Primbee Public School green thumbs who are taking to the soil to plant a new Tiny Forest at Ray Crump Oval this week.
Led by Groundswell Collective, Council staff and students worked together to establish a community-owned green space to grow and evolve over time and transform a small area of open space into a densely planted native ecosystem, supporting biodiversity, habitat creation and urban cooling.
Tiny Forests are a key component of Council's Urban Greening Program that recently received a major boost through a $480,000 funding injection via the NSW Government's expansion of its Greening Our City program aiming to create cooler, greener and more liveable cities.
The planting at Primbee is Council's first project delivered through the grant program cand continues the growth of the Tiny Forest program that began at Tarrawanna in 2022 and has blossomed further with local schools, volunteers and community groups planting new urban forests in Keiraville, Dapto, Fairy Meadow and Berkeley.
Tiny Forests can mature quickly enough that a child in kindergarten can plant a seedling and see a forest well before they finish school. It compares to a potential 70 years for traditional forest restoration, delivering a big impact in a small footprint, with diverse native species planted closely together to replicate the layers of a natural forest.
Replacing grass with a dense mix of trees, shrubs and groundcovers creates up to 30 times more green surface area than turf alone. Once established, Tiny Forests provide shade, habitat for birds and pollinators, cleaner air, carbon capture, reduced noise impacts and improved biodiversity.
Lord Mayor of Wollongong Councillor Tania Brown said the new Tiny Forest illustrates how small-scale greening initiatives can add up and deliver significant environmental, educational and community benefits.
"We're very appreciative of the funding from the NSW Government to deliver these projects that encourage school children and communities who are passionate about our environment to increase our urban canopy," Cr Brown said.
"This is the first project we're undertaking across 10 priority areas enabled by the funding that will see more than 1500 new trees planted across our LGA. We're primarily focussing on our southern suburbs like Dapto, Berkeley, Port Kembla, Warrawong and Primbee where communities experience higher heat and lower canopy cover.
"We've made a lot of great strides through our urban greening strategies so far, but we still have more work to do to meet our goal of 35 per cent coverage by 2037. This funding will certainly allow us to enhance our efforts in this vitally important area."
Member for Wollongong, and Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Mr Paul Scully is excited to see the first seeds planted in the expansion of the grant program to Wollongong.
"The Minns Government has expanded the Greening Our Cities program to include Wollongong to support projects that will grow tree canopy cover in the area," Mr Scully said.
"Council's 'Greening the Gong program', funded with more than $480,000 from the NSW Government, will see thousands of trees planted, primarily in the southern suburbs of Wollongong, where we can make a real difference to canopy cover and mitigate urban heat effects."
Primbee Public School Principal Alicia Hodges said the project illustrates the value of community collaboration.
"The Tiny Forest is a special project for our school and a wonderful example of what can be achieved when our students, staff and community come together," Ms Hodges said.
"Driven by our fantastic Community Hub volunteers, it gives our students the opportunity to get involved, care for the environment and develop a deeper understanding of what it means to look after Country."
Other initiatives through the grant program will include woodland and verge plantings, parks, sportsgrounds and public open spaces, as well as street and shade trees along active transport corridors and residential streets.
