Skip to content
Environment, Local Government

“Love your trees”, Willoughby City Council mayor tells residents

Willoughby City Council 2 mins read

Local residents have a civic responsibility to protect Sydney’s urban tree canopy, according to Willoughby City Council Mayor Tanya Taylor.

In a speech to be given at the launch of the Council’s Canopy of Life Tree Festival on Wednesday 29 May 2024, Mayor Taylor will announce work designed to inspire residents to be more eco-conscious by educating them effectively about trees, as well as new investment in council enforcement of tree protection laws.

The Mayor will:

  • Aim to mobilise residents to combat the climate emergency by telling them “everyone has a responsibility” to safeguard the future of Willoughby’s urban tree canopy
  • Announce Willoughby City Council’s intention to increase levels of public understanding about the various ways trees improve lives in local communities by generating clean air, controlling erosion, and combatting the ‘urban heat island’ effect
  • Confirm the Council is allocating a new staff resource dedicated to tree vandalism investigations and tree protection compliance

 

The Canopy of Life Tree Festival is the first of its kind for Willoughby City Council, and features a packed programme of interactive walks, talks and workshops. Designed to inspire residents to feel more strongly about environmental issues, the programme includes a keynote talk from Greg Mullins, the charismatic former fire and rescue commissioner, at a day-long symposium titled Conversations on Trees, taking place on 5 June 2024.

Other speakers include Macquarie University’s Dr Michael Gillings. To see the full programme visit: https://www.willoughby.nsw.gov.au/Canopy-of-Life-Tree-Festival

 

ENDS

 

Notes to editors

  1. Media are invited to submit expressions of interest for an interview with Mayor Tanya Taylor or to attend the Canopy of Life Tree Festival launch event taking place at the Incinerator Cafe on 29 May 2024. Please contact media@willoughby.nsw.gov.au for further information

 

  1. The full text of Mayor Taylor’s speech is attached to this email.

 

  1. Willoughby City Council’s urban tree canopy currently covers 35% of the local government area, but nearly 13 hectares (483 tennis courts) have been lost in residential areas since 2011.

 

  1. Willoughby City Council’s Love your Trees campaign is an ongoing educational program that provides residents with opportunities to learn more about trees and why they are important for local communities.

 

  1. A number of local residents have written to the Council to showcase trees in their area that have special significance for the local community. These stories are published on the Council website at: https://www.willoughby.nsw.gov.au/Canopy-of-Life-Tree-Festival/Resident-tree-stories

 

  1. The Council has an Urban Tree Management policy which sets out a strategic framework to guide the protection, care, maintenance and management of trees throughout the Willoughby local government area.

Contact details:

For further information or enquiries, please contact media@willoughby.nsw.gov.au

Media

More from this category

  • Environment
  • 07/03/2025
  • 16:05
Solutions for Climate Australia

Pay Up. Coal and gas polluters called on to pay for cyclone damage

MEDIA RELEASE7 March 2025 As the impacts of Cyclone Alfred begin to land on south east Queensland and northern New South Wales, it is clear that the eventual clean up bill will be in the billions of dollars. It’s past time that coal and gas corporations pay to clean up their mess. “A tropical cyclone in the subtropics is highly unusual,” said Dr Barry Traill, Director of Solutions for Climate Australia. “In 2024 we saw the highest ocean temperatures on record. This warming is caused by pollution from coal and gas, making storms and floods like Cycle Alfred more more…

  • Environment, National News Current Affairs
  • 07/03/2025
  • 13:44
Climate Media Centre

Spokespeople available in Tropical Cyclone Alfred-affected areas

As residents of South-East Queensland and Northern New South Wales make final preparations for the crossing of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, many may be wondering what role climate change is playing in this weather system. Scientists say a warmer world means fewer but more destructive cyclones, as CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology forecast in the 2024 State of the Climate report: “Fewer tropical cyclones, but with higher intensity on average, and greater impacts when they occur through higher rain rates and higher sea level.” The following spokespeople who are in the affected areas are available for media interviews. To arrange interviews,…

  • Environment, Science
  • 07/03/2025
  • 11:11
UNSW Sydney

UNSW researcher heads to Japan for first meeting on IPCC international climate change report

Arts, Design & Architecture academic Negin Nazarian hasbeen selected as a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. The report is the firstIPCC report to focus specifically on cities. The lead authors are meeting in Osaka, Japan, next week (March 10-14). Associate Professor Nazarian, who is one of only four lead authors from Australian universities, is among 97 specialists who will contribute to the vital publication by the IPCC – the United Nations body for assessing science related to climate change. The report, which is scheduled for release in March 2027,…

Media Outreach made fast, easy, simple.

Feature your press release on Medianet's News Hub every time you distribute with Medianet. Pay per release or save with a subscription.