Mitigating Hawkesbury heat

In 2019, Hawkesbury City Council was one of 20 councils successful in securing a share of $5.3 million in grant funding to deliver more trees across Greater Sydney.

Council used the funding to deliver a street tree planting program. This was a pilot to support future street tree renewal across the entire local government area. Two locations in the Hawkesbury area were selected to deliver the pilot program. Each site had unique conditions for planting providing council greater knowledge of the effectiveness of the program. These conditions included a sports precinct adjacent to residential housing, a sports precinct adjacent to industrial sites, and drainage reserves with limited environmental values.

The funding delivered a total of 90 new trees in South Windsor and Bligh Park. Forty new trees were planted on the perimeter of the South Windsor netball sporting precinct. Development in the area had led to a reduction in tree canopy, affecting the recreational value of the space and increasing temperatures in the warmer months. The planting aimed to increase canopy cover, reduce surface temperatures in the area and provide a nature screening effect to the adjacent industrial site.

Fifty new trees were planted on Porpoise Crescent, Bligh Park. The planting aimed to deliver increased tree canopy and create a green corridor to link 2 bushland settings.

This program has paved the way for Hawkesbury City Council to engage with the community on the benefits of tree-lined streets in delivering both visual and economic amenity. Today, the trees are well established. They have grown to provide greater shade, reduce urban heat and are attracting wildlife to the area.

Council sees this as the start of undertaking a major street tree renewal program in the Hawkesbury especially in areas where significant tree canopy has been lost over the years.

Craig Johnson, Project Manager, Hawkesbury City Council

• Hardy tree species were chosen to succeed in the urban environment. The trees were also selected based on size, to ensure trees would not significantly impact on road infrastructure and could be easily maintained while providing a good level of canopy cover and habitat for wildlife.
• 45 L trees were installed at the 2 locations with a mix of water gum and snow-in-summer natives.

• Hawkesbury City Council was required to ensure a successful 18-month tree establishment period as part of the grant conditions. This was an important component of the grant program, as the first 18 months is critical to the ongoing life of the trees.
• The establishment period began in December 2019 and was completed in June 2021.
• The maintenance routine included fortnightly inspections and watering during the initial 2-month period. Maintenance moved to a monthly basis for the remainder of the establishment period. The project delivered a 93% tree survival rate, and the 6 trees that failed were replaced by council.