The school’s grade 4/5 class planted a range trees including lemon and mountain bottlebrush, hop bush and swamp honey-myrtle as part of Schools' Tree Day on Friday. 

East Tamar teacher Michael Sims said this was the third year his class had supported the Planet Ark campaign.

“It is all about teaching them why we need to take care of the environment,” he said. 

“The students find it really interesting and it is also a fantastic opportunity to get outdoors and get their hands dirty.

“This year we planted the trees along one of the school’s gravel walkways, so it is now a little bit greener.”

Now in its 22^nd year, National Tree day is Australia’s biggest nature and tree planting event, with more than 24 million trees planted since its inception. 

Mr Sims said the students were very engaged with the campaign.

“They really took ownership of choosing the plants, working out where they should go and then getting them in the ground. 

“If we can teach the younger generation about why we need to keep the environment clean, hopefully their will be plenty of trees around for future generations.”

For more information National Tree Day and to find an event near you, visit treeday.planetark.org.