​When more than 100 volunteers join the call to action to get their hands dirty and give back to the community, it’s a sure sign that it’s a worthy cause. 

Local nature-loving volunteers took part in Planet Ark's National Tree Day on 31 July in the dog park at Band Hall Reserve/Ferrier Rd Reserve, Birrong.

It was the first time in two years that volunteers have been able to plant the seedlings (due to Covid restrictions). The team planted a huge range of seedlings including Acacia falcata, Dianella longifolia, Eucalyptus fibrosa, Goodenia hederacea, Wahlenbergia gracilis, Pittosporum undulatum and many more!

The plants are all locally native and were chosen based on what type of vegetation community would have existed there previously. The seedlings have been planted along either side of the canal.

Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour said it was great to see so many volunteers putting in the hard work for such an important cause.

“We are so thankful for the volunteers and local residents for helping out this year.  National Tree Day is a special time for people to connect with nature, help the local environment and enjoy the benefits of being outdoors,” Mayor Asfour says. 

“Over 26 million trees have been planted by volunteers since the first National Tree Day and we’re thrilled to play our part in getting another million in the ground this year.”

National Tree Day began in 1996 and has grown into Australia's largest community tree planting and nature care event. According to Planet Ark, planting more trees is proven to assist in reducing the impact of CO2 emissions. A large healthy tree can sequester up to 93kg of CO2 per year.

Over the years, an impressive five million volunteers have donated 10 million hours of their time to do their bit for nature.

Re-vegetation of environmental destruction is also vital and, following the devastating bushfires of the 2019/20 summer, large swathes of native forest have been decimated with more than 5.3 million hectares lost to fires in NSW alone.

The local volunteers achieved over 1000 native seedlings; a mixture of trees, shrubs, grasses, climbers and groundcovers that will create habitat for our local wildlife. It will take time, but plantings from previous years at this site are already showing great improvement to the area.