EACH year since 1996 on July 31 Australia has celebrated National Tree Day. Unfortunately this year National Tree Day planting has been postponed due to the continuing wet weather.
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Historically, National Tree Day and Schools Tree Day – which was celebrated on Friday – combine to make up Australia’s biggest tree planting event.
Co-ordinated by Planet Ark and sponsored by Toyota, National Tree Day and Schools Tree Day are special days for us all to help out by planting and caring for native trees and shrubs to improve our environment.
Native trees and plants are promoted by National Tree Day as they support biodiversity through providing habitat for native wildlife, even in urban areas such as ours.
Over the years National tree day volunteer planting has significantly contributed to green corridors throughout our city.
In Orange, National Tree Day is organised and sourced by Orange City Council. Council staff select and prepare planting sites, provide tubestock seedlings and organise the day.
We can see evidence of sites of successful National Tree Day plantings in areas such as Ploughman’ s Valley Wetlands, North Orange, Spring Street and Kearneys Drive.
In the absence of the usual community planting day on Sunday, readers might like to consider another tree-planting program which is an integral part of the Orange landscape.
Check out your street tree. Street trees are an important addition to the urban environment, as they provide shelter and shade for pedestrians and motor vehicles. They also purify the air through absorption of carbon dioxide.
Street trees are also a welcome addition to dining and shopping areas. Our city is known throughout Australia as the “Colour City” due to the brilliant Autumn display of its street trees.
Council staff are responsible for the planting, initial watering, maintenance and removal, when necessary of street trees.
Recent years have seen conditions which have caused many of our street trees to become very stressed, some dangerously so.
You can assist council in ensuring that your street tree remains healthy by providing additional water during dry times.