Wagga Council environmental education officer Christina Reid and vegetation management officer Chris Holman at this year’s One Tree For Me giveaway. Photo: Wagga City Council.
Christina Reid says being part of the “One Tree for Me” campaign is one of the best parts of her job as Wagga Wagga City Council (WWCC) environmental education officer.
“It’s such a great project to be involved in; people are always happy to see us,” she smiles.
Back for its second year, the greening campaign is part of WWCC’s biodiversity strategy.
“We plan to see 65,000 native seedlings planted throughout the suburbs over six years,” she explains.
“That’s roughly the population, so it’s ‘One Tree for Me’ – one seedling for every person in Wagga.”
Activities range from community tree-planting activities to free seedling giveaways, which environmental officer Samantha Pascall says have been very popular.
“We have a bit of a following with regulars that come to every event and they’re arriving early and waiting half an hour sometimes to get their seedlings,” she says.
“On Thursday last week, we had a lot of people lined up ready before we could even set up!”
In terms of variety, Christina says they “try to mix it up” depending on availability. The latest round included an ample wattle supply, shrubs, native junipers and ground covers including happy wanderers.
She says people are encouraged to plant them in the yard but they can also be shared around if the plants are too large.
“This is something maybe you could give to a neighbour or someone that you know – or a school teacher. We’re just trying to get these trees and plants into the ground, but they are designed and encouraged for people’s backyards,” she explains.
Over the past year, more than 12 thousand seedlings have been planted and another 8000 remain to give away through four community events between now and September.
“We’re trying to make an appearance in different suburbs around Wagga to make it fair and to reach as many different residences as we can,” Christina says.
“We announce where we’re going to be a few days before and of course, if it’s not in your suburb, there’s no reason why you can’t come across and still get your trees.”
Giveaways are planned for Ashmont Shopping Centre, Tolland Shopping Centre and South City Shopping Centre over the next three months. Keep an eye on the council news and Facebook, where upcoming locations will be confirmed the week before.
For more information about the program visit One Tree for Me.
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