Greening Our Town - Planting for the Future
Drone footage was completed in February 2022 showcasing the low levels of vegetation in the Preston Point Ward (5-10%)
In 2021, the Town was awarded over $70,000 by the Water Corporation administered by the Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) for the planting of trees in heat risk areas with low vegetation cover and high urban heat. The vegetation is targeted to assist communities in the at-risk areas that currently become hot during the summer months making them less accessible for the whole community.
2021/22 Local Government Urban Canopy Grant Program
The 2021/22 Local Government Urban Canopy Grant program was created to expand tree canopy in high urban heat risk areas in Local Governments within the Perth and Peel regions. Funded by the Water Corporation and administered by WALGA, the program provided $750,000 to support additional planting or bring forward future tree planting in these Local Governments’ current urban forest plans.
Round 1 Successful Applicants of the Grant Program
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT
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PROJECT TITLE
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PROJECT OVERVIEW
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FUNDING ALLOCATION (EX GST)
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City of Armadale
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Tree planting in Don Simmons Reserve
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Tree planting in a park and adjoining residential verges with close proximity to public transport route, primary school, car park, playground and other community facilities
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$43,398
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City of Bayswater
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Morley City Centre Leafy Urban Streets
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Tree planting on verges in commercial and industrial areas of the Morley Activity Centre.
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$48,785
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City of Canning
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Increasing Canopy Amenity At The Cannington Leisureplex
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Tree planting in the car park at the Cannington Leisureplex, a facility with high patronage that is currently devoid of canopy cover.
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$6,732
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City of Cockburn
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Cockburn Canopy 149
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Tree planting in 23 streets in Cockburn within both a residential estate, and an industrial area within an ecological corridor.
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$37,446
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City of Fremantle
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Increasing Urban Canopy Cover
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Tree planting across seven sites adjacent to car parks, along pedestrian walkways, and in parkland in green linkages to connect green spaces.
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$16,520
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City of Kalamunda
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The cooling of the Swan Coastal Plain, Kalamunda
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Tree planting in six highly used public open spaces and natural areas using native and ornamental tree species.
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$66,357
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City of Kwinana
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Bertram Tree Planting 2022
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Street tree planting in the suburb of Bertram, a subdivision estate developed in the 1990s with no street tree provision.
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$36,960
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City of Perth
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City of Perth Urban Forest Plan - Infill street tree planting program (Moore Street)
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Tree planting on a newly extended footpath on Moore street in central Perth, adjacent to the Children's Court of WA and the Perth to Fremantle Principal Shared Path.
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$25,177
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City of South Perth
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Trees for the future of South Perth
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Tree planting in six multiple use park precincts that encompass schools, sporting clubs, and wider community sporting and passive activities.
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$59,509
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City of Vincent
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Beaufort Street Median Tree Planting
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Tree planting within the median strip of Beaufort Street to reduce heat for commuters.
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$17,320
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Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale
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Abernethy Road Landscaping Project
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Planting of Eucalyptus wandoo along Abernanthy Road verge following an upgrade to widen the road, which is a major thoroughfare linking Central Byford to residential areas, schools and shopping districts.
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$16,332
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Town of Bassendean
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Town of Bassendean Tree Planting
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Tree planting within an industrial area, major road median strip, and residential area where homes have little to no gardens.
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$14,273
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Town of Cottesloe
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Curtin Avenue Greening Project
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Tree planting within the railway corridor along the Perth-Fremantle line to shade the principle shared path and create habitat for wildlife.
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$12,428
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Town of East Fremantle
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Greening the Town
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Tree plantings in seven areas of underutilised public open space to increase community access and use of sites.
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$70,805
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Planting so far
In 2021, the Town installed over 150 trees throughout East Fremantle. These trees will mature over the next 20 years and aim to give additional shade and protection from the elements for future generations.
Round one includes the planting of trees in the below areas:
- Locke Park (47 trees)
- Gourley Park (51 trees)
- The road reserve on the corner of East Street and Marmion Street (31 trees)
- The road reserve on the corner of St Peters Road and King Street (27 trees).
Round Two Planting - Preston Point Recreational Reserve
In 2022, the Town installed over 300 trees throughout East Fremantle.
Round two includes the planting of trees in the below areas:
- Andrews Road/Canning Highway (68 Trees)
- EI Chapman Reserve (105 Trees)
- Jerrat Drive (86 Trees)
- Additional Trees for planting throughout the Town (60 Trees)
The second round of planting was targeted in the Town's hottest area, the Preston Point Ward (refer to Figure 1, below).
The high urban heat is a result of the low vegetation with the built environment absorbing and trapping heat. Many of the materials used in construction (e.g. steel, brick, concrete) trap heat during the day and release it slowly at night. As a result, the temperature can be several degrees higher than the surrounding natural environment at night. This can lead to an increase in heat-related illness and aggravate existing health conditions.
Figure 1 - Urban Heat Island Effect (Preston Point Ward)
As shown in the below image provided by the CSIRO - the Preston Point Ward has urban heat with temperatures 5-7 degrees higher than the surrounding areas.
Figure 2 - Urban Vegetation Cover Percentage (Preston Point Ward)
This area also has one of the lowest vegetation rates in the Town with only 5-10% vegetation cover.
Trees, green spaces, and natural vegetation can help reduce the urban heat island effect by shading surfaces, deflecting the radiation from the sun, and releasing moisture into the atmosphere. Australia and in particular WA, experiences levels of UV that cause skin cancer nearly every day of the year. Two in three Australians will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, and every year 2,000 people die from this disease. Adolescence and childhood are critical periods to take action to prevent costly and deadly skin cancers later in life, including melanoma, the most common cancer in young Western Australians aged 15 to 39.
Fortunately, skin cancer is almost entirely preventable; with the vast majority of cases being caused by overexposure to UV radiation from the sun. Shade provides excellent protection from UV radiation and is able to reduce UV exposure by up to 75%. The current lack of shade provided at local community sporting clubs and neighboring play areas concerning. For this reason, it is vital to provide club members with effective shade to enable athletes to retreat from the sun during break times and for spectators to feel comfortable and protected from the sun.