Stories from the National Tree Day community
By Sarah Chaplin 17 November 2020
Stories from the National Tree Day community on the power of nature.
2020 has been a challenging year for Australians in a number of ways, however we have heard many inspiring stories from the National Tree Day community about the power nature has to bring calm and joy to our lives, in a range of ways.
A small community group in southern Queensland has found that time in nature, working on a revegetation project their community has helped destress and focus on a positive project during a challenging time. The group has been planting trees and removing invasive lantana and other weeds in a local reserve for a number of years. The area already supports a range of flora and fauna, however this year they’ve seen an increase in small birds in the area, with many nests built this spring.
The students at Huskisson Public School in NSW had a National Tree Day celebration to connect with nature, learn about the environment and enjoy a moment of calm during a stressful time. Each child was responsible for preparing a plot and learnt how to transplant a tubestock seedling. Their project regenerated an area of the school that was previously barren, with the aim of increasing local biodiversity and encouraging birds and other pollinators to the area.
The local environment of one of our NTD community members was heavily impacted by the bushfires over the summer 2019/20 period, with 40 acres of bushland burnt and many trees, plants and animals affected as a result. Local wildlife were encroaching on her home after the fires, so with the aim of rebuilding their habitat, she has planted many native trees this past year, including Waratahs and Bottlebrushes, among others. Bird life has begun returning to the area, Australian King Parrots, Scarlet Honeyeaters, Eastern Spinebills, Superb Fairy Wrens, Little Wattlebirds and New Holland Honeyeaters all reappearing in this area as it recovers from the bushfires.
Please keep sharing your tree stories with us, we love hearing them! Email us at seedlingbank@planetark.org and make sure you tag @nationaltreeday and use hashtag #nationaltreeday on Instagram and Facebook.
Sarah joined the Planet Ark team in early 2019 to work in the Information Centre and on the National Tree Day Seedling Bank special project. She is passionate about environmental science and has an academic background in biology and conservation science. Since graduating, she has worked with small not-for-profit environmental organisations and is delighted to be able to put her range of skills and experience to use at Planet Ark.
