BLUE GUM HIGH Forest in the Hornsby Shire is critically endangered.

Less than 5% of the forest remains, and to protect the ecosystem, Hornsby Shire Council are calling on residents for help.

Blue Gum High Forest has specific soil and rainfall requirements, limiting where the forest can grow. In order to protect the forest, Council are asking for residents to become Bushcare volunteers. Council have released a #SayHighForest video, supported by the NSW Government through the Environmental Trust.

As a volunteer, residents will learn about Blue Gum Forest and the ways to help restore the ecosystem. There are 12 Bushcare groups working for the forest, operating in Beecroft, Cherrybrook. Hornsby, Normanhurst, Wahroonga, and West Pennant Hills.

‘Volunteers contribute to the restoration of degraded bushland areas into healthy natural ecosystems by helping control weeds, planting local native species, and improving the habitat of the forest’s inhabitants like powerful owls and glossy black cockatoos,’ says Jeannette Stannard, Hornsby Shire Council’s Bushland Programs Coordinator.

For more information, visit Hornsby.nsw.gov.au/SayHighForest