Honour National Tree Day

This National Tree Day, Sunday, 1 August, the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife (FNPW) is calling on all Australians to get involved by “virtually” planting a tree in support of ongoing bushfire recovery efforts and engaging their families to get to know, grow and protect their own backyards.

As part of its mission to plant one million trees in bushfire affected regions around the country by 2025, FNPW’s initiative ‘Plant a Tree For Me’ is a great way to get involved in or out of lockdown. A donation of just $10 will plant and maintain a native tree in Australia’s damaged bushland, restoring habitat for our wildlife and protecting Australian wilderness for future generations.

To date, FNPW, along with partners One Tree Planted and L’OCCITANE, have provided grant funding to four Bushfire Recovery Community Nurseries in NSW, ACT and SA, which will support the recovery of critically impacted regions such as the Gondwana Rainforest World Heritage area and NSW North Coast, Mount Lofty to Kangaroo Island Connection, Wollemi National Park, the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and the South Coast to Gippsland Corridor.

This National Tree Day, donate for yourself, your family or as a gift to support ongoing recovery efforts: www.plantatreeforme.org.au

GET TO KNOW YOUR OWN BACKYARD

FNPW’s free educational initiative, Backyard Buddies provides simple tips for all Australians to transform their backyards into a safe and inviting habitat haven. With Spring just around the corner, the website provides fun and informative facts about plants, trees, birds, bugs, insects, mammals, frogs and reptiles that you may regularly see, but not understand.
As home to many wildlife, you can make your garden a friendly place by:

• Building a nest box for your local Brushtail Possums, Sugar Gliders and many bird species such as the Kookaburra and Cockatoo.
• Recycling household objects for your wildlife to enjoy. These include terracotta pipes where lizards can rest; converting your plastic children’s paddling pool into a frog pond; and using old bricks to make a bee hotel.

Find out more about these and many more DIY activities by clicking here.

FUN FACTS

Did you know…

• After a bushfire, Australia’s national floral emblem, The Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is often the first plant to recover and revegetate the area. Ants tend to store wattle seeds underground which may help to explain why the seeds germinate so quickly following a fire – they are already in the soil waiting for the right conditions.
• Eucalypts are commonly known as gum trees, with almost 900 species growing across Australia. They have oil glands in their leaves and take up to 100 years to develop tree hollows – so avoid removing this tree if you can help it!
• Our Magpie friends are not as threatening as you may think. 90% of male magpies won’t swoop and females don’t swoop at all. The exception is six weeks from August to September when males may swoop and become aggressive to defend their nest and protect their babies.