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75 early learners will plant a Children’s Forest in honour of National Tree Day
Freya Lucas
Jul 28, 2023
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75 children who are attending early childhood services will plant a Miyawaki forest in the heart of Sydney to celebrate their transition from preschool to primary school and to acknowledge National Tree Day.
National Tree Day is an annual initiative that aims to contribute to the restoration and preservation of our natural environment. Planet Ark’s Schools Tree Day, which allows early learners and primary school students to participate in the program, is held on 28 July, given the official National Tree Day (30 July) falls on a Sunday.Miyawaki is a technique of forestry that involves layering a dense network of diverse native species. These forests can thrive with minimal human intervention, grow quickly and boost the biodiversity of an area.
“We see first-hand the positive impacts of time in nature through the thousands of students who get involved in Schools Tree Day each year and the joy it brings them. So many adults reflect on their childhood experiences of Tree Day, and the pride they feel as they see the results of their labours all those years ago” said Planet Ark CEO Rebecca Gilling.
The Miyawaki planting event is being coordinated by Tree Rites, a Sydney-based environmental collective led by landscape architect Barbara Schaffer and artist Michaelie Crawford.
“We are striving to create a connection to nature in the long term – the children can watch the forest grow, they can appreciate it as a little child, as a teenager and as an adult they will see this growth,” said Ms Schaffer.
The land has been provided by Randwick Council and is located at Randwick Sustainability Hub, one of the largest inland ecosystems containing the critically endangered Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub.
“This is such a beautiful part of Randwick City and this event is a special way to acknowledge the importance of green space, especially when we live in an urban environment. Getting the children involved from a young age to learn how to nurture the outdoors is critical for a happy and healthy future,” explained Dylan Parker, Mayor of Randwick. The nature care efforts are being made possible by a grant from Planet Ark’s Seedling Bank, a program which provides funding for native seedlings for urban greening and regeneration projects around the country.
“The Seedling Bank is our way of giving back to the thousands of Australian volunteers who roll up their sleeves each year to give something back to the environment as part of National Tree Day,” said Planet Ark CEO Rebecca Gilling. “We have already directly supported over 132 groups in their efforts to plant almost 80,000 native trees, shrubs and grasses since the program’s inception. This year, another 119 groups will plant over 50,000 seedlings using funding from The Seedling Bank.”
For more information and to find events in your local area, please visit treeday.planetark.org
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