The Waikato Regional Council is getting behind the World War One Memorial Forest after pledging $40,000 towards the project.

It will be paid from the regional council's environmental initiatives fund and be used for the purchasing, planting and maintenance of 1,750 trees out of the 18,166 intended for the forest.

The Waikato Regional Council will grant $40,000 towards the World War One Memorial Forest - Te Wao Whakamaumaharatanga from its environmental initiatives fund. Photo: File

The memorial project will see trees planted as a symbol of each kiwi fatality in the war at five sites across the Coromandel: Thames, Cathedral Cove, Whangamata and Coromandel.

The $40k grant to Te Wao Whakamaumaharatanga (The Forest of Memories) project was agreed by the finance committee at its meeting this week.

Initial plantings for the project are due on Anzac Day to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings.

A report to the committee said besides acting as a memorial, the tree-planting across the area would benefit the Coromandel environment by creating forests.

'The intention is to plant native trees at each of the sites,” states the report, 'with different species planted in clusters depending on the suitability of the soil and conditions.”

This grant for the memorial forest was one of three projects the committee agreed to support during this week's meeting.

The committee also made a grant of $40k to the New Zealand Landcare Trust to assist with predator control near a bird sanctuary at Lake Rotopiko near Ohaupo, plus establish a catchment care group.

While the a third grant of $16K was agreed for the Waikato District Council to purchase beetles aimed at dealing with the pest plant Tradescantia (commonly known as wandering jew) at Waingaro Bush Reserve in Raglan.