ROTARY Park at Towradgi will be just one of the sites across the Illawarra where plantings will take place tomorrow for National Tree Day.

The Sandon Point Bushcare Group will plant grasses and shrubs at Whartons Creek from 2pm tomorrow. Participants are asked to meet near Bulli Tourist Park on Farrell Road.

Greenhouse Park in Coniston will also have a leafy boost with more than 1,000 trees to be planted in just two and a half hours.

“National Tree Day is all about highlighting the importance of preserving and protecting the city’s vegetation,’’ Wollongong City Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said.

“Trees and shrubs play a vital role in making our city a great place to live – both for their aesthetics, and the essential role they play in maintaining our air by removing carbon and providing a habitat for our fauna.’’

Anyone can get involved in the national Planet Ark event and Council asks participants to make sure they’re wearing sturdy shoes, long-sleeved shirts and sun protection. Tree planting starts at 10am until 12.30pm. The City of Wollongong Lions Club will hold a complimentary barbecue, and will supply cool drinks, tea and coffee. Players from the Wollongong NRE Hawks and St George Illawarra Dragons will also be on hand to show off their gardening skills.

Children will enjoy a free performance of the ‘The Fun Loving Ferals’ show, and there’ll be qualified arborists and horticulturalists to answer tree-related questions.

“This is a great day and I’d encourage everyone to pull on their gardening gear and get involved. I’ll certainly be there,’’ Cr Bradbery said.

“It’s also terrific that the plants and trees going into the ground on Sunday have all been propagated by the talented team at the Wollongong Botanic Gardens as part of Council’s Greenplan cultivation program.

‘’In fact Council, with the help of volunteers, plants around 36,000 trees a year. It’s just one more thing Council is doing to maintain Wollongong’s biodiversity and make our city a liveable one.’’

Greenhouse Park is on Springhill Road at Coniston. If people can’t make it to Greenhouse Park, Bushcare groups are also hold tree plantings on Sunday at William Beach Park in Brownsville, the reserve on the corner of Denison Street and Throsby Drive in Wollongong and at Rotary Park in Pioneer Drive, Towradgi. The plantings are from 9am-12 noon.

For more information call Council’s Customer Service Centre on (02) 4227 7111.