Community members joined Baw Baw Shire Council staff and gave their green thumbs a workout at Robin Hood Reserve on Sunday, July 28th as part of National Tree Day.
Around 30 people braved the cold and wet winter weather to help revegetate the area and plant approximately 800 trees in Drouin West. This tree-planting project will also help to ensure indigenous plants are growing throughout Baw Baw.
The newly planted shrubs will help to transform the natural habitat in the area and provide future vegetation cover.
A free community barbecue, hosted by the Drouin Rotary Club, gave volunteers the fuel they needed throughout the morning.
Council’s National Tree Day forms part of the wider National Tree Day celebrations across the country.
Established in 1996 by Planet Ark, it is the largest nationwide tree planting and nature care event. National Tree Day is a call to action for all Australians to get their hands dirty, give back to their communities and learn more about the world around them.
Local schools celebrated Schools Tree Day on Friday, July 26th. These events help ensure children are educated about the importance of tree-planting and other environmental protection projects.
Baw Baw Shire Mayor Cr Annemarie McCabe said it was great to see community members give back to the natural environment and help create a greener future for generations to come.
“Our National Tree Day event is something that the council proudly hosts each year and feeds into our Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2022 – 2030, which details the council’s environmental management and sustainability goals, aspirations and commitments for the next eight years,” Cr McCabe said.
“Protecting and enhancing the natural environment is a key goal within this strategy and it’s events such as these that contribute to achieving this,” she said.
Last year, the local community celebrated with an event in Brooker Park in Warragul. Many other revegetation projects, run by council as well as separate organisations, have been completed throughout the shire in recent years.
Tree planting and plant revegetation are crucial in supporting life on our planet. Trees provide habitat and food for animals, produce oxygen and absorb and store carbon dioxide. Without trees to store carbon dioxide, these gases are released into the atmosphere and contribute to rising global temperatures. Trees also move water from the land into the atmosphere, ensuring rainfall and fertile soil.
