A new site for school tree planting that could provide a space for generations of local kids to engage in regen education has been earmarked by Byron Council.
A report prepared by Council staff discussed at last week’s Council meeting identified two potential parcels of land that could facilitate pilot tree planting programs.
One of them was a 10,000m2 site located on a bend in the Brunswick River just north of Mullum, known as the ‘Horse Paddock’.
Following submissions from local school tree planting advocates at last week’s meeting, councillors voted to confirm this site as the ‘preferred location for a proposed tree planting pilot program’.
Long-term potential
‘It’s an extraordinary block of land… and we want to favour that because it has long-term potential,’ one of the advocates, Ray Moynihan, said.
‘A generation of children could be involved in environmental education at that site, just down the road, as successive waves of planting take place.’
Councillors also went some way to addressing the fact that there is no money in Council’s kitty for essential maintenance works on such a project.
Greens councillor, Sarah Ndiaye, successfully moved that the project be referred to the September 30 quarterly budget review to see if funding could be identified as part of that process.
Subject to identification of a budget for maintenance, Council endorsed continued investigation into options for future tree planting programs for the Horse Paddock area including a high-level strategic review and concept landscape design.
‘I really support the opportunity for our students to learn more about regeneration,’ Cr Ndiaye said.
