Mayoral Column – Purposeful tree planting connects community

Wednesday, 13 May 2026

Hundreds of new trees have been planted in Penrith over the weekend to increase natural shade and groundcover – and the latest to be planted are extra special.

On Sunday, 660 people joined Penrith City Council for our heartwarming Trees for Mum event, which saw a record 544 trees planted, at Cadda Ridge Reserve in Caddens.

Thank you to our new and many returning participants who took part in our biggest ever Trees for Mum event, that celebrates and honours mothers, grandmothers, aunts and mother figures.

Participants choose from a selection of trees and shrubs and share an emotional moment with loved ones. Many leave handwritten notes on their plants and return later to check on their tree’s progress. These newly planted trees and shrubs are surrounded by a biodegradable guard to protect them as they grow.

We are proud to attract residents from all over the City and beyond for this important event. Next year will mark a milestone 20th year of Trees for Mum. Since 2007, we’ve had more than 2,600 attendees and planted around 4,000 trees.

These trees and shrubs are carefully selected natives, lovingly propagated locally at Council’s nursery, which has been operating in Penrith for more than 40 years.

This is one of the ways Council continues to show leadership and innovation. We are preparing to plant another 3,500 trees and shrubs through our regular program of bushcare events in the 2026-27 period.

Did you know Council also provides free trees for residents to plant on their private properties? We offer up to 250 semi-mature trees annually through the Adopt a Tree program, which returns on Saturday 6 June. Register for a tree at penrith.city/events.

As our City continues to grow, it’s important that we keep cooling the city in various ways – with and for our community – and nurturing vegetation is one of the most effective and important methods.

Initiatives like these reflect our shared goals in the Resilient Penrith Action Plan 2021-30 and other strategic documents.

Sign up for Council’s free Bushcare Bulletin at penrith.city/bushland to learn more.

Cr Todd Carney
Mayor of Penrith

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Wednesday, 13 May 2026.