NEWS

Tree Day’s youngest coordinator shares advice for young people looking to volunteer

By Emma Lucey 14 April 2026

Back in 2021, we interviewed then 11-year-old Shiloh Herzberg Nicholls as they followed their nanna Helen’s footsteps in environmental care and became the youngest Tree Day coordinator ever. Now 16 years old, Shiloh hopes to encourage more young people to participate in events such as National Tree Day to advocate for our environment.

Since 2021, Shiloh has run their own youth Landcare group, Forest Heart, which has not only planted over 2000 seedlings in Redhead, but has also been a key part of their personal growth over the past five years.  

“I've become more skilled at leadership, logistics, organisation, and understanding what goes into an event such as National Tree Day - as well as developing ground skills like site surveying, tree identification, and different planting methods.” 

Forest Heart focuses on planting species native to the Redhead area they’ve been working to regenerate, including tuckeroos, wattles, casuarina pines, silver banksia, and a few types of eucalypt.

We spoke with Shiloh’s nanna, Helen, who has proudly passed the torch to her very capable grandchild after being involved with Landcare since 1998.

“It gives me so much happiness to see Shiloh evolve and learn the leadership that’s involved,” said Helen.

_{Shiloh, aged 3, planting their first tree on National Tree Day (published on the front cover of the Manning River Times).}

It’s been proven that spending time in nature supports mental health and Shiloh says being part of a community group and caring for the local environment has been a helpful constant over a ‘tumultuous’ last five years. Not only has it offered them a form of community support, but also a sense of pride for what has been achieved.    

With eco-anxiety and stress related to climate change becoming more prominent, getting involved in environmental initiatives can help ease those worries. Research by youth mental health not-for-profit, Orygen, outlines that young Australians indicated that engaging in pro-environmental activities can provide a sense of hope, help them feel like part of the solution, and make them feel like they are being heard.   

“There's a lot going on in the world today, but it's important not to forget the earth on which we stand, the value it holds, and the threats it faces. Though these challenges are overwhelming, I hope and believe that we as young people have the drive and the power to stand up and bring about this crucial change”, Shiloh tells Planet Ark.   

When asked if they had any advice to other young people thinking about getting involved in National Tree Day, their response was a clear call to action.  

“If you care about the environment, a National Tree Day event is a great place to start in order to learn how to step up and care for the land. It's also an avenue to meet people who hold similar values to you, and learn from them how best to fight for the well-being of our earth”. 

  If you would like to host your own planting site, visit our ‘Host a site’ page https://nationaltreeday.org.au/get-involved/host-a-site or our toolkits https://nationaltreeday.org.au/toolkit/