Tamworth student Nathan Watson and Tamworth's Urban Street Advisory Group honoured with wins by Australian Institute of Horticulture

That's according to president of the Australian Institute of Horticulture (AIH) Alan Burnell, who visited the city on Tuesday, February 21.

A local TAFE student and a group dedicated to greening the city were presented with awards at the Bush Chapel in the Botanic Gardens.

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Nathan Watson is the 2022 AIH Student of the Year.

Mr Burnell said the 21-year-old goes above and beyond when it comes to learning, and fits the institute's aim to increase and improve green spaces.

"It's a passion, and it starts from day one," he said.

Mr Watson graduated high school with a passion for sport, being outside, and immersed in nature.

"Horticulture ticked the boxes, so four years later I'm working and I'm over the moon to have received this award," he said.

"It's a great privilege, and it really reflects my passion for horticulture, and that I take it seriously, and I want to pursue it as a career."

The AIH Award for Excellence was presented to the Urban Street Advisory Group, which was created to increase the street tree canopy in the region to 40 per cent by 2040.

Chair of the committee Helen Tickle said planting the right tree in the right spot is the group's focus for the future.

"I often think that if every tree that had been planted in a school tree planting day was growing, we'd be very, very green," she said.

"We've got to stop this, just getting a trowel, putting it in the ground, walking away and thinking that we're growing a tree for the environment."

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