Tauranga City Council’s Free Tree Day is back, giving residents the chance to receive one free tree per household to plant on their property.

The aim of Free Tree Day is to increase tree canopy coverage across Tauranga, creating a greener, healthier city and improving community wellbeing.

“Our long-term goal is to achieve 30% tree canopy cover for Tauranga - but we can’t do that alone. The best way to achieve meaningful canopy growth in our city is by working with private landowners,” says Mayor Mahé Drysdale.

“Giving free trees to our residents is a more cost-effective option than Council planting and maintaining the same number of trees, to help achieve our canopy growth goals and, ultimately, help the environment,” adds Mahé.

Mark Armistead, Tauranga City Council’s team leader Urban Foresters, agrees saying trees play a vital role maintaining a healthy city, reducing pollution and keeping our neighbourhoods cool.

"Trees bring multiple benefits such as providing shade on hot summer days, improving air quality and providing shelter for native birds and wildlife," says Mark.

Last year’s Free Tree Day was extremely popular with more than 1500 trees given away.

This year, residents are asked to register for their free tree in advance and book a timeslot for pick-up. This will help the day run smoothly and reduce the ques seen at last year’s event. It’s easy to register online by visiting council’s website: www.tauranga.govt.nz/freetreeday

Residents can choose from a variety of native tree species including Pōhutukawa, Tōtara, and Kōwhai, plus fruit trees.

With over 2000 free trees available there are plenty to go around. The trees are ready to plant and can easily fit in a car, so trailers won’t be needed.

Council’s Arborist team will be present at Mercury Baypark to provide educational materials, guidance on tree care and information on other Council-led environmental initiatives.

This event is exclusively for Tauranga residents. Council staff will record the intended planting locations to ensure all suburbs benefit from this initiative.

Free Tree Day details:
• Date: Saturday 7 June
• Time: 9am – 1pm
• Location: Mercury Baypark, 81 Truman Lane, Mount Maunganui
• Online registration form: www.tauranga.govt.nz/freetreeday

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