National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will hand out more than 700 trees to residents in the Southern Highlands to save the threatened glossy black-cockatoo.

NPWS will distribute Allocasuarina littoralis or black she-oak trees at a ‘hand-out’ day at Bundanoon on March 4.

NPWS Highlands Manager Graham Bush said this was the second time trees would be given away, following the popularity of the event and planting of more than 700 trees in 2016.

“We’re once again inviting locals to take these young trees home and plant them in their backyards as hedges, garden trees or on farms as windbreaks,” said Mr Bush.

“Once they’re mature, these trees will provide a healthy habitat and food for the glossy black-cockatoo, who like to feed from the seeds of she-oak trees.

“The glossy black-cockatoo is a threatened species whose numbers have plummeted over the past few decades. This project will help restore their habitat and a reliable food source to support their recovery in the region.”

NPWS volunteer technical officer Pat Hall said the NPWS, volunteers and residents all thought it was wonderful to be part of direct action to save this species.

“As part of the project, residents will be provided with young trees, guards and canes to help with growing the plants, planting information, cards for recording sightings of the glossy black-cockatoo, and registration forms to help us follow up on the project,” said Ms Hall.

“I have had many of the volunteers and members of the community who took trees last time share with me how well their saplings are doing and telling me how rewarding it is to be doing something so simple yet significant to contribute to this species’ survival.

“We’re encouraging locals to come early on the day as the tree allocation was exhausted very quickly at our last event and there were still many people hoping to secure a plant.”

The 700 trees will be distributed from 11am to 2pm on March 4 at the Bundanoon Oval picnic area on Erith Street in Bundanoon.