Sabrina Hahn on the importance of looking after the environment across Perth

Australia’s largest community tree planting and nature events are nearly upon us, as Planet Ark gears up for Schools Tree Day on July 29 and National Tree Day on July 31.

The events provide the perfect opportunity to do something positive for your local environment and community and to reconnect with nature.

Next Friday is dedicated to Schools Tree Day. Each year, more than 3000 schools nationwide participate in environmental activities that educate people about the world around them. Activities range from planting bush tucker gardens, building habitat for native wildlife, nature play and more.

National Tree Day started in 1996 and since then more than 3.8 million people have planted 26m trees and plants — and it’s still growing.

The program is a call to action for all Australians to get their hands dirty and give back to their community. It’s a day to venture outdoors, get to know your community and, most importantly, have fun.

Never before has it been so imperative to get more trees on the planet. Habitat loss in and around Perth is at its highest with ad hoc urban infill removing so much canopy cover for suburbs. Gardens are rapidly becoming rarer as the concrete army moves to cover any green space.

There are many activities put on by community groups and local councils to get involved including this one by the City of Vincent. Its Landscape Plan for Woodville Reserve will help create a more usable public open space by converting the north-west portion of the reserve into passive parkland.

To mark the completion of this project, the City of Vincent is holding a planting activity for National Tree Day today at 10am to plant native shrubs, ground covers, feature plants and hedges. The activity will take place at the north-west portion of Woodville Reserve, off Namur Street, in front of the tennis club and community garden. For more information visit treeday.planetark.org/site/10026300

The planting selection is a celebration of West Australian natives, with a variety of textures and colours to behold. This selection will work to support our unique biodiversity, and provide food and habitat for our local fauna including the beloved Carnaby’s black cockatoos.

Tip

Get involved in any way possible to make your neighbourhood a more livable and safer place for many species to thrive.

3 jobs to do

1. Due to the warmer sunny winters, birds are beginning to nest early this year. Leave out any nesting material for them of different sizes and leave all spider webs to willie wagtails and honeyeaters to construct their nests.

2. Prune roses now, collect all fallen leaves and remove any prunings to decrease pest and disease attack.

3. Keep applying compost and manure to garden beds to improve the viability of the soil.