Meet the Sydney councils with big plans for National Tree Day this July
By Emma Lucey 21 July 2025
Across Greater Sydney, local councils are stepping up to tackle urban heat by greening their neighbourhoods. National Tree Day is a powerful way to bring communities together to support this effort.
The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) is supporting these efforts through its new Cooler Places resource, which helps councils and planners design neighbourhoods that are cooler, healthier and more resilient in the face of rising temperatures. Trees and green spaces bring a range of benefits to our communities - shade, clean air, cooler suburbs, and shelter for our unique native wildlife. By working together to increase vegetation cover across urban areas, we can all enjoy these benefits.
Whether you’ll be in the north, south, east or west, there are local planting events happening across Sydney and beyond. Here are just a few of the councils hosting planting in Greater Sydney this year. This year, Camden Council is expanding urban forests to increase habitat for wildlife and cool their community. They’ll be planting a mix of River-flat Eucalypt Forest species to improve opportunities for shelter, foraging, and breeding habitat for native wildlife and pollinators. Last year, the Camden community chipped in to install 2,000 native plants. This year’s event will be held at Fergusons Land Cricket Facility.
If you’re near Cumberland City Council in Darug Country, you’ll have five locations to choose from this Tree Day. Volunteers will join the council to plant over 2,000 native trees, shrubs, and groundcovers to help restore the Cumberland Plains Woodland. By planting various species, they are hoping to enhance the habitat corridor at the site to provide support for local biodiversity. A free BBQ lunch will be provided on site to keep you fueled while getting your hands dirty.
Woollahra Council has a particularly beautiful planting location with ocean views from Christison Park. Last year, over 2,000 native heathland seedlings were planted in a bushland pocket along a coastal track, extending the habitat corridor for small birds and other wildlife.
Hornsby Shire Council will be planting local species grown by volunteers at the council's Warada Ngurang Community Nursery. Their event this year in Thornleigh will help preserve the Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest, and ecological community, which has been classified as critically endangered. Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark forest is likely to become extinct unless immediate conservation strategies are implemented, making this tree day vital. You can volunteer to help preserve and regenerate this rare and valuable ecological community.
Blacktown City Council will be hosting planting events across three different locations this year. They plan to plant 2,000 indigenous plants at each reserve, enhancing habitat for local wildlife by increasing groundcover and shrub layers.
With multiple events held in Sutherland Shire Council, you won’t be far from a site to dig in and get planting. Last year, over 1,000 new seedlings were planted throughout the Sutherland Shire to stabilise dunes near coastal areas and create new habitats for local wildlife. You can help this year at locations such as Engadine, Gunnamatta Park, and Rutherford Reserve in Cronulla.
If you’re centrally located, the Sydney City Council planting site might be for you. You can join to help plant 3,500 native grasses, wildflowers, and herbs in Federal Park. This planting will include specific grasses that native insects prefer, supporting bees and butterflies, enhancing pollination, and providing food for little birds. A habitat corridor runs from the Glebe foreshore along Johnstons Creek, and this site will assist animals to move around our city within thicker patches of habitat.
No matter where you are in Greater Sydney, there’s a local National Tree Day event waiting for you. By volunteering your time to plant a tree - or more - you’re helping to create cooler suburbs, protect endangered ecosystems, and support the wildlife that call Sydney home. So grab a hat, bring a friend, and join your community in making a lasting impact—one tree at a time.
To find a planting site near you, click here. To explore the Cooler Places resource, visit the NSW Planning website.
Emma brings experience in digital media and communications with a background in several industries such as tourism and hospitality. Prior to joining Planet Ark in 2022, Emma spent 5 years living abroad in London & Amsterdam where she developed a greater interest in the environment and sustainability. Outside of work Emma enjoys gardening, camping and crocheting.
