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Urban Shade Forest Initiative Grows Strong in 2025

With National Tree Day just around the corner, we’re calling on you to join our Urban Shade Forest planting events across Australia! Read on to find out more about our mission to boost greenery in our urban spaces and how you can join in the fun.

More trees, please! The power of urban green spaces

Our cities need more trees and native greenery—and for good reason! Green spaces provide cooling shade, which is becoming increasingly vital as summers grow hotter and heatwaves last longer. These leafy green powerhouses also capture carbon, provide us with the oxygen we breathe, and offer a much-needed boost to our mental and physical well-being.

But it’s not just people who benefit—native plants create critical habitat for the wildlife that call our cities home. With a reduction in urban vegetation, many species are left navigating a fragmented concrete jungle. The good news? Even small pockets of greenery in urban spaces can make a big difference, sometimes supporting even more biodiversity than larger patches of habitat! That’s why every tree planted, every garden or balcony improved, and every bit of revegetation matters.

How are CVA helping to green our cities?

Since launching our Urban Shade Forest project in 2022, CVA has planted over 20,000 native seedlings in urban and suburban spaces across Australia. Following on from the successful delivery of our Urban Shade Forest project over the last couple of years in Greater Dandenong, VIC and Rockingham, WA, we are once again gearing up to grow even more Forests!

With renewed support from our founding partners Chevron Australia and its premium fuel brand Caltex, we are delivering the Urban Shade Forest project for an additional three years. Our focus areas will include returning to the City of Rockingham, Western Australia, while also excitingly expanding to two new regions – Campbelltown City Council in South Australia, and a soon-to-be-confirmed region in South-East Queensland.

We’re collaborating with our project partner Councils to draw on local expertise and select native species suited to each planting site. By planting thousands of native seedlings in parks and reserves across our three focus regions, we’re creating cooling shade for park visitors, nearby roads, and pathways—while also boosting biodiversity and providing habitat for native wildlife.

While trees are essential for cooling, research suggests that a complex mix of trees, shrubs and other types of vegetation best help to reduce heat. That’s why we’re planting a diverse mix of trees, shrubs, and groundcovers to maximise cooling benefits, while also creating a thriving and biodiverse ecosystem.

We need your help to build these Forests!

Want to contribute to growing an Urban Shade Forest to be enjoyed for generations to come? If you’re based near one of our USF regions, we’re calling on all keen volunteers to jump on board and get involved.

We will be running a series of exciting community planting events across our featured regions from May – August 2025. These won’t be your average planting days either! As part of the day, you may get the opportunity to take part in a free educational workshop or tour, have an encounter with wildlife, or take some native seedlings home! You can find details of our available events below:

FIND EVENTS IN THE CITY OF ROCKINGHAM, WA

FIND EVENTS WITHIN CAMPBELLTOWN CITY COUNCIL, SA

Private landholders residing within the City of Rockingham, or Campbelltown City Council (SA) Local Government Areas who are interested in contributing to the expansion of the project by planting on their properties, schools or businesses are invited to contact CVA via [email protected] to learn more.

Can’t join us in person? There’s no better time to start creating your own Urban Shade Forest at home, guided by our Nature Blocks program on the CVA Community Hub mobile app.

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