Children And Community Have Grounds To Celebrate

This year Planet Ark celebrates 20 years of National Tree Day and Schools Tree Day – Australia’s largest community tree-planting and nature care event. Each year around 3,000 schools across Australia take part in Schools Tree Day,
encouraging future generations to learn how to plant and care for seedlings as they grow.

Parkes Shire Council have invited local schools to participate in the event today by providing schools willing to branch out with up to ten native trees and shrubs towards any planting activity. “Schools Tree Day can mark the beginning of a long-term environmental program,” said Michael Chambers, Parkes Shire Council’s Environmental and Sustainability Coordinator.

“By engaging students of all ages in an outdoor, fun and hands on activity like tree planting, we can encourage their passion for the environment, maths, science and creative arts or simply contribute to creating beautiful school grounds,” Michael added. Planet Ark’s 2012 Planting Trees report revealed that interacting with nature helps children’s health, wellbeing and development. Time spent in nature helps kids thrive!

The wider community can also use the opportunity to grow on National Tree Day on Sunday. Parkes Shire Council and Central West Lachlan Landcare invite the community to dig in by planting more than 400 trees on a corridor of land adjacent to the Parkes Waste Depot with access 3.8km out on the Condobolin Road. Activities start from 10am and will conclude with a sausage sizzle at 1pm.

Since Planet Ark launched National Tree Day in 1996, more than three million participants have planted 21 million native trees, shrubs and grasses.