Hobart residents are being encouraged to plant more trees on their properties as part of a new initiative to increase the city’s urban tree canopy cover to 40% by 2046.
Free native trees will be available this week from a pop-up urban forest in the Elizabeth Street Mall, along with advice from arborists on how to properly plant and care for young trees.
Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said residents need to complete a five-minute survey on the development of a new urban tree strategy for Hobart to claim one.
“We want to hear from as many people as possible about how as a community we can plant more trees on private and public land and grow our urban tree canopy,” she said.
“The City of Hobart has an ambitious goal of increasing our urban tree canopy cover to 40%, but we can’t do it on our own.”
According to City Greening Lead Ruby Wolfe, while Hobart is surrounded by forests, the city’s urban areas are “not doing so well”.
“A strong and healthy urban tree canopy is essential for a healthy and resilient city,” she said.
“Urban trees … improve air quality and reduce flooding. Urban trees are also becoming increasingly important as shade providers and to help fend off hotter temperatures in the city and our suburbs as the climate warms.”
All trees available are native to Tasmania.
They include dogwood, hopbush, manuka, woolly teatree, lemon bottlebrush, blackwood, white peppermint and black she-oak varieties.
