In the national Forest Strategy, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and the provinces underline the importance of organising Tree Festival Days for children. Tree Festival Days contribute to the policy goals of more forest, better forest and trees in urban and rural areas. The annual theme 'Growing up with trees' focuses on how nice and important it is for children to be able to grow up in a green environment. With trees in neighbourhoods, parks and schoolyards, children play outside more and are physically and mentally healthier.

A tree for every child
National Tree Day has been celebrated every year for 66 years. Since the first edition in 1957, millions of children have planted trees. Boomfeestdag chairman Albert Verlinde is proud of the tradition that Boomfeestdag has become. Verlinde: "By now, several generations of children have participated in the Boomfeestdag. Year after year, children have planted trees in their own neighbourhoods or helped foresters create patches of new forest. We see that the children of the past are now still returning to 'their' trees, together with their children and sometimes even already with their grandchildren."

Under the motto 'every child a tree', Stichting Nationale Boomfeestdag wants every child in the Netherlands to plant a tree. Verlinde: "Planting trees is not only great fun to do, but also very educational. The children discover what trees and nature mean to us and see that they themselves can do something for a better climate, more biodiversity and a healthy, pleasant living environment."

Photo: Stichting Natuinale Boomfeestdag