The City of Perth is planting 85,000 trees in rural Western Australia as part of its ongoing initiatives to offset carbon emissions in the inner-city.
The city today said it had engaged carbon sink developer Carbon Conscious to plant and maintain the trees at Koorda, 300 kilometres from Perth in the Wheatbelt.
The initiative, funded by income generated by City of Perth parking operations, is aimed at offsetting some of the greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles being driven to and from the city.
The trees are estimated to trap 15,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide gases each year once they hit maturity.
The planting is the second of a four-stage program first launched by the City of Perth in 2009, with the planting of 85,000 trees at Kojonup.
Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said the program has a number of benefits.
"While actively encouraging the use of more sustainable forms of transport, we recognise that cars will be the preferred conveyance for some time to come," she said.
"As well as offsetting carbon, this program has another environmental benefit because plantings will be on marginal agricultural land and will help combat soil erosion. The trees will also provide windbreaks and provide native animal habitat.
"Planting of the trees also recognises the important relationship between cities and rural areas and their interdependencies."
