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How Urban Shade Forests Are Cooling Our Cities

As Australia’s cities continue to grow and temperatures rise, our urban environments are facing a major challenge: heat. Concrete, asphalt, and low tree cover are creating “urban heat islands” – areas significantly warmer than surrounding natural landscapes.

But there’s good news: urban shade forests are proving to be a powerful, nature-based solution. And Conservation Volunteers Australia is proud to be helping to lead the way in cooling our cities.

What Are Urban Shade Forests?

In a nutshell, urban shade forests are native tree forests planted in cities, or urban environments. To be effective, they need to be strategically planned and managed.

Urban shade forests are carefully planned groves of native trees and vegetation planted in built-up areas. Their primary purpose is to create cooler, greener, and more liveable cities for both people and wildlife.

These forests provide shade, filter air pollutants, store carbon, reduce noise, and bring biodiversity back into communities. They’re not just patches of green. They are climate action in motion – helping to make our cities more resilient.

Understanding the Urban Heat Problem

Understanding the urban heat effect and how it impacts our cities, communities, health and the livability of our environments can help us better understand the importance of urban biodiversity and urban forests.

Cities can be several degrees hotter than surrounding areas due to dense building materials and lack of vegetation. This heating effect is particularly dangerous during summer heatwaves, which are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change.

High temperatures don’t just make us uncomfortable — they can:

  • Increase energy use (especially related to using air conditioning)
  • Worsen air quality and public health
  • Put vulnerable people at risk (such as the elderly and those with existing health conditions)

The Solution: Cooling our Cities, One Tree at a Time

Our Urban Shade Forests project is a nature-based solution that targets this issue head-on. By strategically planting native canopy trees and understory plants in urban spaces, Conservation Volunteers Australia is working with local councils, community groups, and land managers to reduce heat in hotspots where it’s needed most.

Since launching this Urban Shade Forest project in 2022, we’ve planted more than 20,000 native seedlings in urban and suburban spaces across Australia.

Benefits of urban shade forests include:

  • 🌡️ Lower local temperatures through shading and evapotranspiration
  • 🐦 Increased habitat for native birds, insects, pollinators, and other threatened species
  • 🌬️ Improved air quality by trees filtering pollutants and releasing oxygen
  • 💧 Better water retention and reduced stormwater runoff
  • 🤝 Community engagement through tree planting and stewardship

Where Is It Happening?

The Urban Shade Forests project is already underway in urban areas across Australia, particularly in suburbs with low canopy cover and high socio-economic vulnerability. Sites are selected based on need and community readiness, with priority given to areas that will benefit most from shade and biodiversity gains.

The success of our Urban Shade Forest project in Greater Dandenong (VIC) and Rockingham (WA) has been an inspiration to create more shade forests in Australia.

Thanks to renewed support from our founding partners Chevron Australia and its premium fuel brand Caltex, we can deliver the Urban Shade Forest project for an additional three years. The sites selected for these projects include the City of Rockingham in Western Australia, Campbelltown City Council in South Australia, and Ipswich City Council in Queensland.

A Long-Term Vision for Sustainable, Liveable, Resilient Cities

Urban shade forests aren’t just a quick fix — they’re a long-term investment in climate resilience.

With each tree planted, we’re cooling our communities, supporting native wildlife, and giving future generations places to breathe, connect, and thrive.

Let’s grow a cooler, greener Australia — one urban forest at a time.

👉 Learn more about the Urban Shade Forests project and how to get involved

How You Can Get Involved

We believe that everyone can be part of the solution. Whether you decide to come and plant trees with us by volunteering with CVA, donating to support our planting of native seedlings, or simply spreading awareness, your actions can help create greener, healthier cities.

Here’s how you can take part in cooling your city:

  • Join a volunteer planting day: Find an event near you.
  • Support urban shade forests by donating to CVA: Donations go directly to planting and caring for trees.
  • Advocate for local urban greening in your council or school.
    • If you live or work within the Local Government Areas of Rockingham, Campbelltown (SA), or Ipswich, and have a space in mind for planting an Urban Forest, we may be able to provide you with free native plants. Get in touch with our team to find out more!

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