Community makes the world greener one a tree at a time

LOCATIONS across the Bellarine Peninsula are greener thanks to community members facilitating and taking part in Planet Ark’s National Tree Day.

The initiative, which took place last week, was complemented by School Tree Day, where students took part in tree planting sessions.

More than 300,000 participants across Australia take part in the day replenishing tree habitats.

Last Saturday’s event marks 25 years of National Tree Day with Planet Ark aiming to inspire communities to plant over a million trees, shrubs and grasses each year.

The Bellarine Catchment Network (BCN) planted 300 trees by The Narrows in Queenscliff on Saturday morning.

Two groups of 10 community members helped staff from the BCN weed and then plant and guard various types of trees and flora, including salt bush, tea tree, wallaby grass, Old Man’s Beard and many more.

The groups’ weeding efforts helped reduce the prevalence of the Bellarine Pea, an invasive weed with a shallow root base that interferes with the growth of native plants.

BCN biodiversity officer and one of the organisers on the day, Tim Trottier, said the day was a success, and that it was a great sight to see people out in the community making a positive impact on the environment.

“It’s great to see the community getting involved,” Mr Trottier said.

“I think we had four kids under the age of 10 out there with their parents and some other volunteers that we see at our other weed days.

“It was really good to see that level of engagement and the want to be a part of that group.”

Mr Trottier also mentioned his approval of an initiative like National Tree Day and how it shines a light on issues such as the lack of trees in the world.

“It really helps people to get out into their community and take ownership of their little patch in the world,” he said.

There are still planting days for National Tree Day available to sign up for in the Geelong and Bellarine regions. Head to the Planet Ark website for more.