News

National Tree Day sees 1300 new trees in Mooroopna

By Anna McGuinness

Aug 4, 2022

New growth: Paddy Segrave, 10, plants one of 1300 trees in Mooroopna for National Tree Day. Photo: Megan Fisher. Photo by Megan Fisher

In two hours, 1300 native trees were planted in Mooroopna thanks to the green thumbs of residents who turned out for National Tree Day.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

More than 150 residents of all ages planted native grasses, groundcovers, shrubs and trees in Huggard Dve on Sunday, July 31.

City of Greater Shepparton Deputy Mayor Anthony Brophy said the community response was fantastic, with the large turnout on the day a credit to the community’s appreciation and understanding of the natural environment.

“A big thank you to everyone who attended our National Tree Day celebrations on Sunday,” he said.

“Council will continue to spread the important message of maintaining and enhancing the environment for our native wildlife and to ensure our region is a great place to live.”

National Tree Day was founded in 1996 and has grown into Australia’s largest community tree planting and nature protection event.

Since its launch, 26 million trees have been planted nationwide, with five million volunteers donating a total of 10 million hours.

The plants and materials used on the day came from the council’s One Tree Per Child Program, which aims to plant a native tree or shrub in the region for every child.

Attendees on the day spent a couple of hours planting followed by a barbecue lunch hosted by the Lions Club of Shepparton.

“Council was extremely pleased to be able to get outdoors and celebrate this important day following the last two years’ cancellations due to COVID-19 restrictions,” Cr Brophy said.

“We look forward to next year’s event to see if we can beat the impressive planting tally.”

National Tree Day is an initiative organised by Planet Ark in partnership with major sponsor Toyota Australia and its dealer network.