A celebration of trees, National Tree Day was established by Planet Ark in 1996 and has grown into Australia’s largest community tree-planting and nature-care event. The program is a call to action for all Australians to get their hands dirty and give back to their community.
Each year, around 300,000 people volunteer their time to engage in environmental activities that educate Australians about the world around them. While every day can be Tree Day, Australians dedicate a celebration of trees – Schools Tree Day and National Tree Day – to the last Friday and last Sunday in July. It’s a day to venture outdoors, get to know the community and, most importantly, have fun!
Schools Tree Day: Friday, 26 July 2024
National Tree Day: Sunday, 28 July 2024, and
Tropical Tree Day: Sunday, 1 December 2024.
Why plant trees?
Trees are natural carbon sequesters – meaning they absorb and capture carbon from our atmosphere. The timber they produce is also an important, environmentally friendly building material because it stores carbon and is a renewable resource. So it’s important we continue to plant trees and look after the natural environment.
Being in nature is also good for health and wellbeing. Having a dedicated day to plant a tree (or more than one) gets everyone out and into Australia’s beautiful landscapes.
What is The Seedling Bank?
The National Tree Day program has seen Australian communities plant almost 27 million trees since 1996. These trees have been supplied through fundraising and campaigns at a local level.
To help further support Australian communities with their tree planting efforts, Planet Ark created The Seedling Bank in 2019. Through generous donations from individuals and businesses, it can provide financial support to schools and community groups where seedlings are needed the most.
Financial grants are awarded directly to successful applicants to get seedlings in the ground and help restore our unique Australian landscape.
Learn more about The Seedling Bank. and National Tree Day.