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Urban Shade Forest Grows into Kwinana in 2026

We’re excited to announce that, with the support of Chevron Australia and Caltex, our Urban Shade Forest initiative is expanding into a new region in 2026 – Kwinana, WA! After a successful start in Rockingham, we’re incredibly excited to now partner with the City of Kwinana to bring Western Australians more opportunities to help green our urban spaces, and create cooler, more biodiverse cities together.

What’s an Urban Shade Forest and why do they matter?

Urban Shade Forests are small pockets of native plants growing in urban spaces, helping to bring nature back into our cities where vegetation has often been lost over time. By planting thousands of native seedlings in Parks and Reserves across Kwinana, we’re creating cool, shady and biodiverse spaces for the community to enjoy. These new Forests will help cool nearby roads and pathways, while also boosting biodiversity, and providing food and shelter for native wildlife.

Green spaces in our cities aren’t just beautiful – they’re essential. They provide many important benefits, known as ecosystem services.

If you’ve ever stood under a tree on a hot day, you’ll know how much cooler it feels. Trees help lower temperatures by providing shade and cooling the air around them via evaporative cooling, making summer days more comfortable. Not only that, greenery can make us feel better by boosting our mental and physical health, cleaning the air we breathe, and also have the ability to capture and store carbon.

The golden guideline for urban greening… 3-30-300!

Urban greening experts are increasingly supporting the 3-30-300 guideline, first introduced by Cecil Konijnendijk.

This guideline suggests that:

• Everyone should be able to see at least three mature trees from their home
• Every neighbourhood should have at least 30% tree canopy cover
• Everyone should live within 300 metres (about a 5–10 minute walk) of a high-quality green space, such as a park or public garden

These targets aim to ensure everyone has easy access to healthy, thriving green spaces.

Now think about your home, school, or workplace…. how many of these goals are met?

If you’d like to see more green spaces in our cities and help create them, we’d love for you to get involved.

Where are we focusing our planting efforts in Kwinana?

Over the next two years, we’ll be planting Urban Shade Forests across four suburban Parks and Reserves in the City of Kwinana:

• Crossroads Reserve in Wellard
• Lizards Reserve and Lake Magenup in Wandi
• McKanna Gardens in Parmelia

Together, these sites will see more than 8,000 native seedlings planted – and we’re inviting our amazing community of volunteers to help bring them to life!

These locations were chosen in partnership with the City of Kwinana, focusing on suburban green spaces that will benefit most from an increase in tree canopy and shade. Our planting efforts support Council’s broader Urban Forest Strategy, which aims to plant around 1,800 new trees, demonstrating the City’s ongoing commitment to greening Kwinana.

These new forests will also play an important role in supporting local wildlife.

One exciting example is McKanna Gardens Park, a suburban pocket of native bushland where we’ll be planting in 2027. While the site is currently degraded, it still supports an impressive range of biodiversity, with over 90 native plant species recorded last spring.

Working alongside the City of Kwinana and our community volunteers, we’ll be restoring this area by planting native species that reflect the original Banksia Woodland once found there. This includes important food and habitat plants for Black Cockatoos (currently listed as Endangered).

Through these targeted planting efforts, we’ll be creating greener cities, strong ecosystems and healthier spaces for the community of Kwinana.

We need your help to build these Forests!

From May to June 2026, with the support of Chevron Australia and Caltex, we’ll be hosting a series of community planting events across Kwinana, with a goal to plant nearly 3,000 seedlings this year, and we’d love for you to join us!

These planting days are a fantastic opportunity to get your hands dirty, spend the day with like-minded people, and gain the satisfaction of growing a series of Forests that will be enjoyed by people and wildlife for years to come. We’ll also be giving away native seedlings at each event for you to take home!

Mark your calendars and register for these events by clicking on the date/s below:

Sunday May 24^th – Crossroads Reserve, Wellard

Sunday June 14^th – Lizards Reserve, Wandi

Sunday June 28^th – Lake Magenup, Wandi

Can’t join us in person? Plant a Forest at home!

There’s no better time to start creating your own Urban Shade Forest at home and start reaping the benefits for your home and the wider community. Why not begin by exploring a local native plant nursery near you?

Are you a resident of the City of Kwinana? Good news! We’re also supporting the City of Kwinana’s Native Seedling Subsidy Scheme this year, which will allow you purchase native seedlings at a subsidised rate all throughout May 2026 (while stocks last), helping you to green your balconies, backyards and beyond! The Subsidy will open up for registrations on Friday May 8^th at 12pm, so make sure you’re following the City of Kwinana’s Living Green series on Eventbrite to sign up.

Whether you’re able to join us in person or support us from afar, you can follow us on Facebook to stay up to date with upcoming events and planting days.

We can’t wait to grow a cooler, greener Kwinana together!

The Urban Shade Forest initiative is supported by founding partner Chevron Australia, Chevron’s premium fuel brand Caltex and supported locally by Campbelltown City Council, the City of Kwinana, and Ipswich City Council.