By Shamsiya Hussainpoor
Hills community members got their hands dirty to keep the environment and the planet looking healthy and green by planting trees for National Tree Day.
The booked-out event on Sunday 21 July, organised by the Yarra Ranges Council, entailed planting grasses, groundcovers, shrubs, and trees at the Birdsland Reserve in Belgrave.
The reserve is a gigantic home for many faunae who rely on vegetation for breeding, shelter, and food.
National Tree Day started back in 1996 and it has grown over the years – it’s a call to action for all Australians to get their hands dirty and give back to the community.
As the country’s food and wood industries surge, local councils implement tree-planting initiatives to crackdown the impact of deforestation and replenish lopped trees.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, statistics show that Australians across the country are planting more than 191,700 trees daily or up to 70 million trees annually.
Yarra Ranges Council director planning and sustainable futures Kath McClusky said it’s important to look after the environment.
“Our planting days at Birdsland are vitally important as we are aiming to re-establish bushland sections and native habitat in an area that was previously grazed for agriculture,” Ms McClusky said.
“These planting days also raise community awareness about biodiversity, revegetation and indigenous plant species, helping build a resilient environment while also being great for social connection for those who attend.”
“We planted 500 indigenous tubestock plants, which are grown by volunteers at indigenous nurseries.”
The Birdland Reserve has a long history with Wurundjeri people being the first to live in the region around Birdsland, which later got cleared for grazing and crop production.
Back in 1981, the Shire of Sherbrooke purchased Birdsland, in order to save the site from urban development, four decades later, the reserve was opened it to the public as a community bushland reserve.
Now, over 130 different native birds have been identified in the area including the Wedgetail Eagle and Powerful Owl – Birdsland supports over 200 species of native plants.
“The trees, shrubs, grasses and groundcovers that are planted in our reserves are indigenous, best suited to the soils and local climate, and they also provide food, shelter and breeding areas for native fauna,” Ms McClusky said.
“Council’s Bushlands team organised the planting day at Birdsland, which is now in its sixth year.”
“It usually aligns with National Tree Day and we also have a community planting event taking place near Woori Yallock Creek in Seville on Sunday 4 August.”
A video on how to plant tube stock was also posted on the Yarra Ranges Council website.
