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🌳🌿 Our Community Tree Planting Day in Banora Point on Sunday 28 July was a success with people of all ages coming to plant trees to add to the amenity, wildlife corridor and shade in this area. Many thanks to Banora Point High School P&C who provided the sausage sizzle on the day, a great reward after planting, watering and mulching.

In total, we planted 700 trees on our community day, with students from Banora Point High School and Tweed Heads South primary school planting an additional 150 trees. Great effort everyone!

This event coincides with Planet Ark's National Tree Day, Australia's largest community tree planting event. Each year, about 300,000 Australians come together to plant trees, connect with nature, and learn more about their local environment. Tweed Shire Council residents are encouraged to join in this effort to green our community.

Tweed Shire Council has completed planting trees along the pedestrian walkway at Overall Drive, Pottsville and alongside seating areas. These trees will be located on the Mooball Creek side, approximately between Victoria Avenue and Buckingham Drive.

This planting project was funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments as part of the Get NSW Active grant program.

Tweed Shire Council will be planting trees in the nature strip along Covent Gardens Way, Banora Point. This will provide much needed shade for pedestrians and active travel in the area.

Thank you to those who have already responded regarding planting in this area. Planting is now scheduled to be completed in the winter 2025 planting season, to maximise survival rates of trees planted.

If you live in this street and DO NOT want a tree planted in the verge outside your property, please complete the form to let us know.

Trees in urban areas provide more than just shade, and can:

• promote walking, cycling and outdoor activities
• provide privacy and reduce noise
• reduce the demand for heating and cooling by as much as 15%
• increase property values between 5 to 30%
• encourage bird life
• contribute to cooling and reduce heat-related illnesses

We're planting trees in the streets around Saddle Way Park, Murwillumbah. In particular, Council will plant trees in the nature strips of the following streets:

• Mount Ernest Crescent
• Mount Lindesay Avenue
• Mount Ballow Avenue
• Castle Field Drive
• Saddle Way

Please confirm your interest in a tree in front of your house by completing the form here.

The previous trees were located in the concrete blisters adjacent to car parks, but have been progressively removed due to ill health of the trees and ensuring the safety of people and property. Council is coordinating project details and will continue to communicate with businesses and community members once more information is available regarding a cost-effective approach to planting and streetscaping in this area.

These street trees provide value to the overall amenity of the main street in Murwillumbah, making it a place where people are more likely to linger, shop and be active in the community.

The Cool Towns Urban Forest Program is focused on increasing the quantity and quality of tree canopy in the Tweed, providing shade and cooling in the places we live, work and play.

Favourite tree of the Tweed competition - winners announced

The winners of our Favourite Tree of the Tweed competition have been announced:

The standout winner with 67 votes was the impressive Pandanus tree at Kingscliff submitted by Conal H. on behalf of his kids Freddy and Essie and titled ‘Dome Tent’. Conal said entering the competition was his children's idea as they loved to play under and climb the amazing Pandanus tree.

Jonny C.’s entry ‘When 2 Become 1’ as it highlighted a location where several trees alongside the road provide shade, beautiful amenity value and habitat for wildlife, as well as connection to play and recreation areas. Jonny is passionate about the value trees can add to the landscape and backyards and is known amongst his friends as 'the plant guy'. He said that while there were lots of great trees, he was particularly struck by the beauty of these two trees intertwining.

Tweed residents were invited to submit a photo of their favourite tree or streetscape in the Tweed to promote the benefits of trees as part of Tweed Shire Council’s Cool Towns Urban Forest Program. 24 entries were received and more than 370 votes were cast.

The Cool Towns Urban Forest Program aims to plant more trees in the Tweed to provide increased shade and cooling in settings where concrete, bitumen and built structures absorb and reflect heat.

The two winning entries won a prize pack including a native tree voucher for Kingscliff Nursery, 6 bags of high quality compost produced by Soilco from Tweed's Organics Processing facility and a gardening supplies pack (2 prizes to be won).

View the entries

Terms and conditions

In May 2023, our Parks and Active Communities team planted 70 trees along streets in Tweed Heads South, providing future shade along pathways and roads where people actively travel. This planting project was funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments as part of the School Infrastructure grant program.

Trees planted included a mix of Tristaniopsis lucious, Elaeocarpus eumundii, Lophostemon confertus and Acmena hemilampra.

Council appreciates the support of local residents in caring for trees, with Council teams to maintain trees as they grow to promote safety, visibility and shade in the longer term.

As part of the Australian and NSW Government funded School Zone Infrastructure program, Tweed Shire Council is delivering improvements to pedestrian facilities around schools, including new footpaths in Tweed Heads South.

To support improved pedestrian conditions, Tweed Shire Council is planting street trees along streets including:

• Blue Waters Crescent and Barrett Street
• Shearwater Parade
• Oxley Street
• Sullivan Street
• Cunningham Street
• Seymour Street

These trees will provide additional shade and cooling to the area, promote walking, cycling and outdoor activities and add amenity values to the streetscape.

If you live in the above streets and do not want a tree planted, please submit your response.

If you live in another location and would like to request a tree, submit your request here.

Cool Towns - Tweed Shire Urban Forest Program - Hands up if your street could do with some more shade

Commencing: 24 August 2022

Completion: 1 November 2022

200 native trees ready to be planted for residents keen for more trees in their street

Tweed residents are invited to put their hand up for a native tree to be planted in their street as part of Council’s Cool Towns initiative to increase urban tree canopy cover.

A total of 200 native trees from Council’s nursery are ready to be planted as street trees in urban areas across the Tweed to improve areas most lacking in shade. Street trees play an important role in reducing the warming effect created by heat-absorbing roads, footpaths and buildings.

Trees also play a major role in defining the character of a shire and can be used to reduce solar radiation and noise while helping to purify the air. They also help to boost a street with living assets which are both environmentally and aesthetically pleasing.

Council’s Manager Parks and Active Communities Murray Smith said he was pleased to announce this initiative and hopes it will be well received by the community.

“Trees are a valuable asset, and we are pleased to be able to plant 200 native trees for our community. We are asking residents to consider if they have a suitable location in their street or in front of their house that would benefit from a tree,” Mr Smith said.

“Rather than selecting locations that may not be supported, Council would like to work with residents to find the best locations as well as those who are willing to look after and appreciate the trees.

“We hope this initiative will also encourage the community to plant more of their own trees in the future.”

Mr Smith said the opportunity this time would be confined to residents in coastal and urban areas of the Tweed, due to the fact 80% of the available tree species being suited to coastal habitats.

The trees will be planted in public areas, in particular road reserves, and need to be in the ground within the next 8 weeks. Some of the tree species include small-leaved tamarind, tuckeroo, Eumundi ash, weeping lilly pilly, broad leaved lilly pilly and red cottonwood.

To register your interest, contact Council and log a street tree planting request. Council will assess the site including checking for nearby infrastructure and if suitable, plant a tree in an appropriate location.

This project follows on from the replanting of street trees in Minjungbal Drive in 2020 as part of the Cool Towns initiative. The initiative aims to strengthen and expand the Tweed’s total canopy coverage in urban areas.

Request a tree online at tweed.nsw.gov.au/trees-public-land

Minjungbal Drive Street Planting Project

Commencing: 19th October 2020

Completion: October 2020

Landscaping works along Minjungbal Drive are planned to begin in 19th October 2020. This project is part of Tweed Shire Council’s Cool Towns Urban Forest Program which aims increase canopy cover across the shire, targeting those areas that currently lack in shade and include our busier areas such as cycleways, footpaths and parks.

The Cocos Palm (also known as Queen Palm) planted along the centre median strip of Minjungbal Drive is a registered environmental weed which Council has decided to remove and replace for these reasons:

• Cocos Palms are extremely high maintenance. By replacing the Cocos Palms with native trees we will significantly reduce the maintenance costs of pruning and clearing dead palm fronds, and clearing heavy seeds and fruit which litter the median strip and road surface.
• To improve environmental impacts. The unripened fruit of Cocos Palms is poisonous and can affect native bats. Removal of the trees will reduce the seeds of this environmental weed spreading widely by wind, birds and animals.
• Increase amenity and create a cooler, more comfortable environment by increasing canopy cover by planting more native trees.

Works will include the removal 34 Cocos Palms from the median strip, between Dry Dock Road and Heffron Street, and the replanting of 43 native Brush Box trees and 15 native Eumundi Quondong’s on the median strip. A further 35 Tuckeroos, Water Gums and Cottonwoods will also be planted along the river bank between Dry Dock Road and Heffron Street.

Native trees are widely recognised for their aesthetic value, the habitat they provide for native fauna and the contribution to the community’s pleasure, comfort and wellbeing including providing increased shade for pedestrians, motorists and parked vehicles.

Trees also play a major role in defining the character of a shire and can be used to reduce solar radiation in urban areas, reducing noise and purifying the air while providing the street with living assets which are both environmentally and aesthetically pleasing.