An ambitious conservation campaign is aiming to plant a tree for every New Zealander before the end of the year.
Trees That Count aims to record how many trees are being planted across the country, with all Kiwis urged to pick up a shovel and get involved.
The Warehouse founder Sir Stephen Tindall is the man behind the campaign. He says anyone who plants a tree will also be able to watch it grow and monitor its progress on the website.
"To be able to say to the rest of the world, 'Take a look at what we're doing and how much difference we've been making to our own climate change goals,' we really needed to be able to make a count," he says.
All the trees being planted as part of the campaign are natives. They'll help to fight climate change and will increase biodiversity across the country.
The long-term goal is to plant 180 million trees. Those who study our forests say that'll bring our greenhouse gas emission back to 1990 levels.
Dr David Hall from AUT Policy Observatory says getting trees in the ground is one of the things that will make a big difference.
"Trees help with all of these issues in different ways, such as water quality, soil control and climate change, by sequestering carbon."
Those wanting to do their part are encouraged to plant a tree on Arbour Day, June 5, and record it on the website.
Newshub.
