Georges River Council has received a $215,000 State Government Grant to boost tree canopy coverage across local area.
The council will match the grant with an additional $215,000, bringing the total funding for the initiative to $430,000.
The State Government grant was made as part of its Five Million Trees for Greater Sydney Grant 2018-19 which sees 32 projects across 20 councils awarded funding totaling $5,378,407.
Georges River Council Mayor Kevin Greene said the funding would be allocated to two existing Council projects - the Canopy Corridors Project and the Cool Spaces Urban Oasis Project.
"Both of these projects are going to be instrumental in bolstering the urban forest across Georges River to increase canopy coverage in the coming years," Cr Greene said.
"This injection of funding from both Council and the State Government will allow us to take a large step towards reaching our goal of 40 per cent tree canopy coverage in the Georges River area by 2038.
"The focus of the Canopy Corridors Project is on increasing tree numbers on public land in areas that have been identified as lacking a green presence including Kogarah, Kogarah Bay, Sans Souci, Hurstville and Beverly Hills, which currently have less than 15 per cent canopy coverage.
"Increasing the green presence will not only cool our suburbs, but help to alleviate surface run-off during rain events and mitigate the effects of habitat fragmentation brought on by urban development.
"As the trees mature, they will provide a suitable habitat for native birds including the locally threatened Swift Parrot, Regent Honeyeater, Powerful Owls and Little Lorikeet," he said.
The Urban Oasis Project is being carried out by the council in partnership with the University of New South Wales and Street Furniture Australia.
Under the project, the council is installing three 'ChillOUT hubs' across the local government area at locations in Kogarah, Hurstville and Mortdale.
The council has received $380,507 in Commonwealth Government funding for the project which will help to green the localities, while encouraging community connectivity and social cohesion.
The trees will be planted across the Georges River area over the next 18 months and will range in size depending on each site.
