The biodiversity corridor at Rahamim Ecological Learning Community is even richer following a mass planting on Thursday in celebration of National Tree Day.
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Staff and volunteers planted 100 new trees in the corridor, which has been in place for about five years.
Sustainability manager John Fry said Rahamim has been planting a wide variety of natives for a wide range of reasons.
He said some trees are brilliant for attracting birds and insects, others are dense and thorny and serve as habitat for small birds, and some are fast growing, like wattles, and have brilliant flowers that are great for attracting bees. Others, like the casuarinas and kurrajongs, provide excellent bush tucker.
Some canopy trees, like eucalypts and casuarinas, are favourites with birdlife, particularly parrots, thanks to their seeds.
Mr Fry said the trees are attracting a wide range of animal life, from insects to big parrots.
“In just five years we have seen a lot more native birds coming into the site,” Mr Fry said.
One of the highlights of Thursday’s Tree Day celebration was the planting of two bunya trees.
Mr Fry said the bunyas are a very strong cultural tree among the Aboriginal people.
He said there are a couple of 100-year-old trees in Machattie Park and another at CSU.
Mr Fry said the bunya is a very hardy tree and the Aboriginal people feast on the nuts it produces.
“We have planted these symbolic trees for heritage sake,” Mr Fry said.
Mr Fry said National Tree Day, which is officially held tomorrow across the nation, focuses people’s attention on the importance of trees.
He said there is new science coming out all the time that shows how critical trees are to our environment.
“They provide for and protect humanity, yet we are still clearing them at an incredible rate,” he said. “Any tree, native or non-native, has a vital role to play in moderating temperature and acting as a carbon sink.
“We should all take time out from our busy lives to plant at least one tree each year,” he said.
Planet Ark’s National Tree Day and Schools Tree Day provide all Australians with an opportunity to do something positive for the environment and reconnect with nature.
Planet Ark works with councils, schools and community groups to help hundreds of thousands of Australians plant over 1 million native trees, shrubs and grasses at more than 4000 Tree Day events.