National Tree Day

Categories:: Fun
Tags:: Activities Conservation Environment
Where:: Australia
Date change rule:: Last Sunday of July
Holiday emoji:: 🌳

National Tree Day unites Australians every last Sunday of July for the nation’s largest community tree-planting event. Volunteer to plant trees, care for local natural environments, and learn about vital conservation efforts. Join the movement to create a greener, healthier planet for future generations.

History
Timeline
FAQs
Importance
Celebrate

27 Jul

Landscaping

Trim trees and bushes

Are your hedges looking a little haunted? It’s time for trim. It’s National Tree Day so let’s do some trimming. Use sharp pruners or shears to cut back dead limbs and shape bushes. For bigger trees, get a pole saw or call in a pro. Clear branches from walkways and windows. Neat garden, happy neighbours.

History of National Tree Day

In 1594, the mayor of the Spanish village of Mondoedo hosted the world’s first documented arbor plantation festival. Later, in 1805, a priest named Don Juan Abern Samtrés lived in the community of Villanueva de la Sierra, who recognized the importance of trees for health, cleanliness, decoration, nature, environment, and customs. He decided to plant trees on Carnival Tuesday to make it more joyful, which is now known as Arbor Day.

The celebration began with a Mass and lasted three days. Following the Mass, Samtrés, accompanied by priests, instructors, and a large crowd of neighbors, planted the first tree — a poplar — in the Valley of the Ejido. There was a feast and dancing later. Samtrés wrote a manifesto in defense of trees, which he distributed to nearby towns to foster love and respect for the environment and encourage them to plant trees in their communities.

In 1872, the first American Arbor Day was celebrated in Nebraska. In 1883, Birdsey Northrop of Connecticut visited Japan and delivered his Arbor Day and Village Improvement message, and in the same year, the American Forestry Association made Northrop the Chairman of the committee to campaign for Arbor Day nationwide. He also shared Arbor Day with Australia, Canada, and Europe.

Arbor Day was first celebrated in Australia on June 20, 1889. Many states in Australia have Arbor Day, although Victoria has an Arbor Week, which was suggested by Premier Rupert Hamer in the 1980s. The country decided to take it a step further by establishing National Tree Day in 1996, and since then, the program has seen communities plant almost 26 million trees. In 2019, the Planet Ark Environmental Foundation created “The Seedling Bank” to provide financial support to schools and community groups where seedlings are needed the most.

National Tree Day timeline

1594

First Arbor Plantation Festival In History

It is organized by the mayor of the Spanish village of Mondoñedo.

1805

First Modern Arbor Day

Don Juan Abern Samtrés, a priest living in the Spanish village of Villanueva de la Sierra, decides to plant trees and celebrate Carnival Tuesday with a three-day festival and suggests neighboring towns do the same.

1872

First American Arbor Day

First celebrated in Nebraska, this tradition spreads throughout the country and later to Japan, Australia, Canada, and Europe.

1889

First Arbor Day In Australia

Many states in Australia celebrate Arbor Day on June 20, although Victoria later has an Arbor Week.

1996

National Tree Day Is Established

Since then, the program sees communities plant almost 26 million trees.

National Tree Day FAQs

When is National Tree Day?

National Tree Day 2026 falls on Sunday, July 26, uniting Australians in their largest community tree-planting and nature care event.

How many trees are planted on National Tree Day?

Since its inception in 1996, over 27 million trees have been planted by more than 5 million participants on National Tree Day, making a significant environmental impact.

What is the purpose of National Tree Day?

The primary purpose of National Tree Day is to inspire Australians to plant and care for trees, fostering environmental stewardship and educating communities about the importance of nature.

Is National Tree Day celebrated globally?

While National Tree Day is an Australian initiative, many countries observe similar holidays like Arbor Day, which shares the goal of promoting tree planting and environmental conservation worldwide.

National Tree Day Activities

Plant a tree
You can host or join a planting through the official National Tree Day website. If that’s too much trouble, simply gather with some friends and family and select a piece of land in which you can do this on your own.
Donate to the Seedling Bank
To get the seeds and organize the event, donations are as important as having volunteers. Go through the National Tree Day website to learn more and donate.
Clean the environment
It’s not just about planting trees. National Tree Day is also about looking after nature, and you can do this by volunteering through the website, if not, you can take care of this on your own by simply cleaning your local park or green space and putting everything in a recycling bin.

5 Mind-blowing Facts About Trees

Carbon absorption per year
One tree’s carbon absorption per year is equal to the amount a car produces while driving 26,000 miles.
Old trees are more valuable
A mature tree can absorb almost 70 times more carbon than a newly planted tree.
Adult age
A tree becomes mature and able to reach its maximum carbon absorption stage when it’s ten years old.
They help lower air temperature
This happens when the water in their leaves evaporates.
They improve water quality
This is done by slowing and filtering rainwater, as well as protecting aquifers and watersheds.

Why We Love National Tree Day

We love trees
Trees do even more things for us than what we’ve just mentioned. They provide food, shelter, shade, stabilize the soil, prevent erosion, and more. We must give something back to them.
It teaches children about the importance of trees
While this is technically done on School Tree Day, it’s still organized by Planet Ark and commonly seen all as one single event. Kids are the ones we are giving this world to, and they must learn how much trees do for us and how to plant and take care of them.
It’s a day to clean the environment
This isn’t something that benefits just trees, many animals directly suffer the consequences of things like plastic bags or undrinkable water. Eventually, all that comes back to what we eat, drink, and even the air we breathe.