On a rainy Tuesday 20th May 2025, 15 enthusiastic staff members from CHEP swapped laptops for trowels and joined Greater Sydney Landcare for a Creating Canopies planting day in Schofields. Together, we transformed Harmony Park (Reserve 976) on Stealth Street—a small park nestled in the heart of a residential area—into a future oasis of native greenery.
This hands-on day was a collaboration between Greater Sydney Landcare, Blacktown City Council, and Landcare Australia. Despite the wet weather (yes, ponchos were a must!), the team powered through and planted a whopping 600 native trees and shrubs, carefully selected from the local Cumberland Plain Woodland plant community.
A Greener Park for a Growing Community
Harmony Park is surrounded by homes and full of potential. Through thoughtful landscaping and the inclusion of native species, we contributed to turning this space into a thriving community hub that supports biodiversity, increases habitat for wildlife, brings people together, and offers welcome shade and beauty for years to come.
The trees and shrubs planted will:
- Boost local biodiversity by providing food and shelter for native birds, bees, and other wildlife
- Cool the park naturally, helping fight urban heat and creating a more comfortable environment
- Improve mental wellbeing by encouraging outdoor activity and community connection
- Enhance the look and feel of the park with a variety of textures, colours, and scents
Tall trees, small trees and shrubs were planted, including gum trees (eucalypts & angophora), wattles (acacias), Kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus), bottlebrushes (callistemon), hakea, hop bushes (dodonaeas), Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa), Rice Flower (Ozothamnus diosmifolius), and Australian Indigo (Indigofera australis).
The plants chosen were primarily shrubs to create habitat for birds and pollinators to complement the canopy of large eucalypts already existing in the park’s planting beds.
To help protect the new plantings (and steer adventurous kids and curious pups away), we guarded the plants around the edges.
Corporate Volunteering with Impact
The CHEP team brought energy, collaboration, and a great attitude—rain and all! It’s always inspiring to see how much can be achieved when keen volunteers get involved in meaningful, on-ground work. Events like these are a fantastic way for teams to enjoy a day out of the office together, learn more about local ecosystems, and give back to nature and the community in a way that leaves a lasting legacy.
The day was led by Creating Canopies Project Officer Danielle Hughes, Revegetation Officer Michael Keith, and Environmental Field Officer Kylie Burrows—who praised the CHEP team’s efforts and enthusiasm.
Of course, no planting day is complete without delicious food—morning tea featured fresh fruit and cookies, and the group refuelled with a well-earned lunch of wraps and sandwiches.
Growing a Cooler, Greener Sydney
This planting was part of our Creating Canopies project, which is on a mission to plant hundreds of thousands of native trees and shrubs across Greater Sydney. By increasing canopy cover, we’re helping reduce the impacts of urban heat and creating healthier, more resilient communities.
A huge thank you to CHEP, Landcare Australia, and Blacktown City Council for partnering with us on this project. Together, we’re making a real difference—creating a cooler, greener, Greater Sydney.
Join Blacktown’s Bushcare Program
If you’d like to contribute to environmental efforts in the Blacktown area, you can volunteer to become a Blacktown City Council Bushcare volunteer, and regenerate bushland. No experience is necessary as training is provided.
Get Involved in Creating Canopies
Find out more about Corporate Volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare here. Be sure to download our Corporate Volunteering Info Pack.
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 between 2020-2025 as part of the Greening our City program to help reduce urban heat in Greater Sydney. Proudly funded by the NSW Government.
