Tropical Tree Day is a celebration of trees for Australians living in the northern states and a day to raise awareness of the role tropical rainforests play in our world. While National Tree Day is held in July, Tropical Tree Day falls on the first Sunday of December when the wet season rainfall in the north gives young seedlings a much better chance at establishing.
Cattana Wetlands, where it all began in Cairns, holds a special place in Tropical Tree Day history. From 2009 to 2014, a small group of volunteers planted around 100 trees each year and in recent years, that number has grown to 1,200 trees planted in a single day.
Last year's planting saw 1,350 trees go into the ground, including a mix of canopy and midstorey native species sourced from local nurseries and Cairns Regional Council's own nursery. Each species was selected for its suitability to the local environment, as well as being hardy, fast-growing and drought-resistant.
The Spectacle Flying Foxes roosting nearby have been one of the quiet beneficiaries of all this work. Flying foxes are important pollinators and seed dispersers, easy to overlook but essential to a healthy tropical ecosystem. As the trees grow and mature, they gain more foraging routes and places to roost, while the layered mix of canopy and midstorey species creates habitat for a whole range of native birds, insects and animals.
In the past eight years alone, Tropical Tree Day has seen 8,000 seedlings go into the ground across the Cairns region, supported by a growing number of volunteers who simply keep showing up for nature.
Help restore your local area by hosting a planting event, volunteering nearby or planting native species in your backyard. Visit the following link to learn how you can get involved in National Tree Day.
2026 Dates
National Tree Day - Sunday 26 July
Schools Tree Day - Friday 24 July
Tropical Tree Day - Sunday 6 December