Seedlings planted
Now in its' fifth year, the 'One Tree for Me' campaign aims to get 65,000 seedlings planted in our local area over a period of 6 years. That is one seedling for every resident. This will be achieved through a mix of activities including:
- Free seedling giveaways
- Community tree planting activities on community land
- Supporting schools through Planet Ark's Schools Tree Day campaign
Our seedling giveaways are back for 2025
The One Tree for Me initiative is specifically targeted at urban backyards to encourage people to transform their own gardens into thriving habitats for birds, insects and other native species.
It aims to beautify the local region and make our neighbourhoods greener, more beautiful, and more connected to the natural world as every yard plays a part in an active urban bush corridor with flowering shrubs for pollinators and small trees that offer shelter for woodland birds.
This year there will be four seedling giveaways happening across different parts of the city. The next event will be:
Wednesday 13 August, 2-6pm (or until all seedlings are claimed) at the Jubilee Park precinct carpark, Bourkelands
The 'One Tree for Me' campaign is an action under Council's Biodiversity Strategy: Maldhangilanha 2020-2030. Biodiversity is the variety of all life forms; plants, animals, the genes they contain and the ecosystems in which they live. Species and ecosystems are interconnected and interdependent, and all people are reliant on ecosystem goods and services (food, water, health and recreation) delivered by the natural environment.
A key threat to biodiversity is the clearing of native vegetation. Replanting this vegetation across our area is an important step in repairing this damage and providing the habitat to restore populations of native fauna.
We carefully select plants that are native to the local area and are suited to thrive in the Wagga climate and we run our giveaways through the colder months because this is the best time to get them in the ground. All of the species we select are perfect for attracting our locally native birds and other pollinators into your backyard to support healthy biodiversity.
Past giveaway seedling lists
One Tree for Me - Gumly Gumly 2025 1.0 MB Download
One Tree for Me - Kooringal 2025 374.6 KB Download
One Tree for Me - Bourkelands 2025 1.0 MB Download
Backyard Biodiversity
Backyards are important spaces to support local biodiversity. Think of your backyard as a stepping stone or a land bridge that allows native animals to travel safely between larger areas of natural bushland. Your backyard can help feed, water and shelter animals.
Your backyard also supports millions of invertebrates such as bees, butterflies, worms and ants. Every creature working to keep the system in balance.
Top tips for creating backyard biodiversity:
- Plant species that flower at different times of the year so your garden is a source of food all year round
- Plant a variety of ground covers, shrubs and trees to provide shelter for the different kinds of animals that visit your garden
- Provide a water source, especially in summer, and include a spot for birds and bees to perch and safely drink using rocks and sticks
- Keep pet cats inside between dusk and dawn - the average roaming pet cat will kill 186 animals/year in Australia
For more information on how to support local biodiversity in your backyard visit our Native Plant Selection Guide