Australian communities protect the environment on National Tree Day

Today on National Tree Day, Australians across the country have connected with their community and nature by planting a tree. National Tree Day in Australia is celebrated on the last Friday and Sunday of July, with Schools Tree Day on Friday and National Tree Day on Sunday. In 2025, this fell on Friday, July 25th and Sunday, July 27th.

Established in 1996 by Planet Ark, National Tree Day has grown into Australia's largest community tree-planting and nature care event.

Each year, around 300,000 people volunteer their time to engage in environmental activities that educate Australians about the world around them.

Since 1996, about five million Australians have planted 28 million trees and volunteered 10 million hours of their time to give back to their community.

Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt noted “National Tree Day is a great reminder for people that you can do something very simple like plant a native tree to help protect and enhance the environment.

“Getting involved in National Tree Day helps raise awareness about the importance of trees and the role they play in our environment, from cooling our urban areas to providing shelter and food for native species. This includes homes for threatened animals like koalas, spectacled flying-foxes, and swift parrots.

“All of us can make a difference in our local communities.”

The Australian Government, through the Natural Heritage Trust and Saving Native Species program, is investing in tree plantings across the country to create habitat for threatened animals, as well as planting threatened trees like the bulberin nut, to help secure their long-term survival in the wild.