A boulevard of trees with immediate benefits

Published: 4 April 2019 at 12:00 am

We’re on a mission to plant hundreds of trees around the edges and entrances of the Parklands and recently our crews have been working after hours to create a ‘boulevard’ effect along the Great Western Highway.

The trees used are Spotted Gums (Corymbia Maculata) which have tall trunks and a narrow canopy of leaves at the top, meaning they won’t impede the view of drivers. They can grow to 45 metres high when mature.

Spotted gums are native to the area and common to Western Sydney. They are one of the signature species of the Cumberland Plain Woodlands, which in 1877 was measured at covering 107,000 hectares or 30% of the Sydney basin. Remnants of the Woodlands now only exist in Western Sydney.

The latest planting is of ‘advanced’ trees which have an immediate impact on the environment, absorbing traffic fumes and reducing the heat from asphalt and other surfaces. Because the trees are already grown, it takes a crew of 3 people to plant each one, using heavy earthmoving equipment.

The previous planting, in June 2018, saw us establish almost 80 Spotted Gums along a 500 metre stretch of dual carriageway between Eastern Creek and the M7 overpass.

Together these plantings – which have been planned with the support of Blacktown City Council and Transport for NSW (Roads and Maritime Services) – are creating a green precinct at the front door of the Parklands.