More than 160 staff from City of Newcastle and Hunter New England Health have joined forces to plant a community tiny forest in Wallsend as part of a $500,000 project.
The creation of this tiny forest will be one of two covering an area of 1,185m2 at Collier Street Park as part of the Greening Wallsend initiative, which will also add hundreds of new trees and biodiverse street gardens to the suburb.
City of Newcastle Executive Manager Environment and Sustainability Marnie Kikken said the project will deliver a mix of innovative, urban greening solutions.
"Wallsend experiences significant urban heat, biodiversity gaps and declining private vegetation cover," Ms Kikken said.
"This project will deliver 150 new street trees and 70 new park trees at locations such as Whitegates Reserve, a further community planting opportunity at Neals Park, as well as almost 3000m2 of biodiverse road verge gardens adjacent to the western corridor road upgrades.
"We started this project by involving local students on Schools Tree Day on Friday and had overwhelming support from the community on National Tree Day, with more than 250 people attending to plant trees, learn about local biodiversity and participate in a range of guided walks.
"The urban forest improves the health of residents by improving air quality and providing a buffer to heat sources, including major roads, while also supporting mental wellbeing and enhancing the liveability of the area."
The project aims to enhance Newcastle's urban forest by creating connected canopy cover and vegetation for iconic, threatened and pollinator species including the squirrel glider, while the increase in vegetation will also provide more shade and help to reduce urban heat.
City of Newcastle has partnered with local not-for-profit The Groundswell Collective to plan, deliver and monitor the community tiny forests in Collier Street Park.
Hunter New England Health's Alana Stoeger said the new Community Tiny Forests near the Wallsend campus will have a positive impact on both residents and staff.
"Extreme heat is a well-documented driver of poorer health outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations," Ms Stoeger said.
"Increasing canopy cover will directly reduce that heat island effect and the associated risk of heat related illness while creating green space for nature-based, culturally responsive health interventions that support physical and mental wellbeing.
"This partnership between City of Newcastle, The Groundswell Collective and HNELHD reflects a growing recognition of the inextricable link between human health and planetary health."
The project is supported by $400,000 from the NSW Government's Greening our City Grants.
Member for Wallsend Sonia Hornery said this is the first time this type of funding has been extended beyond Sydney councils.
"I'm very pleased to see NSW Government funding contribute to more tree planting from City of Newcastle in the Wallsend electorate," Ms Hornery said.
"These trees will contribute to shading, improve air quality and reduce urban heat, all while contributing to a more aesthetic environment."
Once they mature, the trees planted during this project are expected to increase canopy cover in Wallsend by almost 13,000m2, contributing to City of Newcastle's targets of 30% canopy cover within road reserves and 40% canopy cover in open space across the city by 2045.
