Four thousand trees are to be planted across Canberra in the months ahead and public spaces are to be given a makeover as the Government allocates funds for city maintenance work.
Minister for City Services, Chris Steel released details of a $3 million package covering tree planting and maintenance, playground refreshes and public space makeovers as part of a stimulus package to support local businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.
“We need to work together with Canberrans to create job opportunities for those that need it, and support local businesses through this difficult time,” Mr Steel said.
“We’ll also establish a new tree team, creating 10 new jobs based in south Canberra,” he said.
“This team will help us to address a backlog of tree maintenance requests from the community, as well as help to keep our urban forest safe and healthy.”
Mr Steel said the autumn tree planting program had begun across 87 suburbs, with the number of trees to be planted more than doubling since last year, from 1,500 to 4,000.
“Suburbs with low canopy cover are our immediate focus,” he said.
“We’ll be planting a combination of native, evergreen exotic and exotic deciduous trees to ensure our urban forest remains diverse and resilient.”
Mr Steel said the package of works also included mulching and extra watering of trees and refreshing up to 30 playgrounds, including installation of extra softfall and the repair of equipment.
