On Saturday 15 March 2025, Greater Sydney Landcare hosted a Creating Canopies tree planting event on a private property in Cattai. With the sun shining and 40 dedicated volunteers ready to make an impact, the day was filled with fun, energy, and a shared commitment to restoring native habitat and cooling the landscape.
Taking Action to Make a Difference
The volunteers arrived for a 9 am start, eager to don their gardening gloves, grab a trowel, and watch the planting demonstration delivered by Creating Canopies staff. Despite the heat reaching 36°C by midday, their enthusiasm never wavered. Luckily the heat mostly held off in the morning and by 11:30 am, the group had completed their mission—planting 1,000 native trees and shrubs, including watering and ring-mulching each one.
This planting built on the 650 native plants Creating Canopies installed on the site in 2023, with another 240 planned, bringing the total for this land to 1,890. The property, near Cattai Creek—where platypus have been detected via eDNA testing—can now provide even more valuable habitat.
A huge thank you to landowner Renee for partnering with Creating Canopies and caring for the plants, even watering them again on Sunday to help them through the heat.
Partnering for Climate Action
This event was run in collaboration with the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ) as part of Climate Action Week Sydney 2025. Special thanks to Greg Marshall for his support, who attended on the day and shared:
“There is a lot to celebrate as more than 40 wonderful ladies and gents (and kids!) turned out and planted our target of 1,000 trees at Cattai for CAWSYD. A surface temperature meter showed a 10-degree difference between sun and shade—precisely the goal of the NSW Government-funded Creating Canopies program. Many thanks to Greater Sydney Landcare who showed us how easy it is to make a difference and had all the logistics handled. Congratulations to all who took part. You should feel proud.”
Community, Learning, and Connection
After planting, the volunteers enjoyed lunch in the shade of existing canopy. They also loved the refreshing ice blocks kindly provided by Narelle, another landowner who has Creating Canopies plantings on her own land. Thanks Narelle!
It was wonderful to welcome back returning volunteers, including We Are One, Helen Latukefu (Miss Earth Australia 2023), and representatives from the Hawkesbury Community Nursery and the Mudcrabs – Cooks River Eco Volunteers. It was also great to meet new faces, including industry professionals and university students.
The efficiency of the volunteers meant there was plenty of time to connect, learn about the benefits of shade in regulating microclimates, and have a great time. Thank you to all who took part and made this a fantastic day!
Creating Canopies team members Bryce Doyle – Natural Resources Manager, Alicia Harb-Akins – Project Manager, and Michael Keith – Revegetation Officer guided the day. They praised the volunteers for their excellent planting skills, proving that with community effort and connection, we can achieve meaningful environmental outcomes.
A Lasting Impact
The Creating Canopies project is about more than just planting trees—it’s about nurturing resilient landscapes, supporting wildlife, and bringing people together. Thank you to everyone who joined us at Cattai, making the day not only productive but also inspiring. Your hard work is creating a greener, cooler future for Greater Sydney, one tree at a time!
Volunteer for Bushcare in the Hawkesbury
If you’d like to contribute to environmental efforts in the Hawkesbury LGA, you can become a Bushcare volunteer and regenerate bushland. No experience is necessary as training is provided.
Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare
Find out more about Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare here. Be sure to download our Corporate Volunteering Info Pack.
Get Involved in Creating Canopies
If you’d like to find out how to get free trees planted on your land, visit our Register Your Site for Trees page.
Come along and plant trees with Creating Canopies. Find out what events we have coming up on Greater Sydney Landcare’s Eventbrite page.
About Creating Canopies
Landcare NSW and Greater Sydney Landcare are planting 300,000 trees by the end of 2025 as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.
