Plant more trees to help city's 'lungs,' Aucklanders urged

Residents of the country's biggest city have been told to do their bit for the environment by helping to plant young trees -- 75,000 this year alone.

The Auckland Regional Council, whose annual tree planting programme begins on Sunday, said the 1000 volunteer planters who turned out last year was not enough.

The council began planting trees in Auckland regional parks in 1964 and since then has planted more than 1.2 million trees.

The chairman of the council's parks and reserves committee, Bill Burrill, said people were being encouraged to create their own 'park' in their backyards by planting more trees and composting garden waste.

"Parks are the green lungs in any large city and the tree planting days not only make the environment look better, but also help to improve the region's air quality," he said.

The first of the public planting days begins on Sunday at Tawharanui and Mutukaroa regional parks with more to follow later in the month.

- NZPA