National Tree Day 26 July

Sunday 26 July is National Tree Day, the thirtieth organised by Planet Ark, and Australia’s largest community tree-planting event.

Trees are the foundation of a healthy ecosystem. They act as the Earth’s natural lungs — absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing vital oxygen — while combating climate change, preventing soil erosion, and providing essential habitats for wildlife and fungi.

Beyond their basic environmental role, individual species provide us with food, timber and medicinal ingredients. At a local level, they filter urban air pollution, provide shade that reduces energy costs and lowers temperatures, and even improve mental health by creating calming green spaces.

Kings Park is the home of many attractive tree species, the largest of them being the Tuart, Eucalyptus gomphocephala, often described as ‘nature’s boarding house’, being home to many small creatures.

Tuarts grow over limestone in a narrow coastal belt between Yanchep and Busselton. They can reach 40 metres and live for up to 400 years, making them one of the ‘forest giants’ of Western Australia.

The wood is one of the heaviest and strongest Australian timbers, which led to widespread harvesting by European settlers from 1829. It was used for bridge supports, shipbuilding, wheels and railway wagons.

Proximity to ports and expanding suburbia meant that natural Tuart stands became rarer and it was declared critically endangered in 2019.

Kings Park and Bold Park contain numerous Tuarts which tower above many other trees and should be safe from development.

Enjoy their natural beauty when you visit the park. Ask in the Visitor Information Centre where you can find some Tuarts or join one of our free daily guided walks.