Staggering stats show just how successful Arbor Month is

A whopping 42 000 trees were planted during Arbor Month 2023.

This statistic was shared with Caxton Local Media by Peter Mbelengwa, the spokesperson for the Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE).

This year’s Arbor Month theme is ‘Celebrating 30 years of freedom: Promoting environmental conservation and sustainable forest management’. “The theme was formulated to resonate with the anniversary of 30 years of democracy and freedom in the country. The aim is to connect the country’s green heritage with history and culture,” he says.

Planting trees and forests creates heritage wealth and sustains healthy and resilient communities. Trees provide us with food, medicine, clean air, water, and places to relax, says Mbelengwa.

What you can do

Plant trees to not only green our country, but also combat climate change.

Choose water-wise indigenous trees and employ water-saving planting techniques. Additionally, consider incorporating fruit trees into your food gardens for a sustainable and delicious harvest.

Trees of the Year

This year’s common tree of the year is the mountain karee (scientifically known as searsia leptodictya). The uncommon tree of the year is the white pear (scientifically known as apodytes dimidiata).

Food & Trees for Africa explains what makes the trees special and gives care tips.

Mountain karee interesting facts:

• The mountain karee, with its dense and wiry branches, attracts birds seeking safe hiding places.
• This evergreen shade tree is frost-hardy and drought-tolerant, beautifying small gardens with its drooping crown and bright foliage.
• Mountain karee belongs to the mango family. It bears small white flowers that turn into bunches of berry-like fruit on female trees. These edible fruits were once key ingredients in mead or honey beer, which explains the tree’s name: The origin of the word ‘karee’ is a Khoi word for mead.
• It adapts well to various soil types, enhancing soil rainwater infiltration, raising the groundwater table, and reducing erosion.
• Each tree offsets an estimated 0.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide over 30 years.

Tips for caring for the mountain karee:

• Prune it into a tree shape in its first few years by removing low-growing branches.
• Though drought-resistant, the mountain karee thrives with plenty of water and well-composted soil during its initial root establishment.

White pear interesting facts:

• The white pear is a coastal evergreen bush-like tree, significant in forests like oNgoye, Tsitsikama and Knysna, where it makes up 3–9% of the tree population.
• Valued by the Zulu nation for traditional medicine and food, the white pear’s root bark treats parasites, and its leaves relieve ear inflammation and can be boiled into porridge.
• It is excellent for year-round shade.
• Its sweetly scented, pollen-laden flowers attract pollinators, including bees.
• In open areas, it grows to about 5m tall, but can reach up to 20m in a forest ecosystem.
• The white pear is a protected tree in South Africa and is often confused with the red candlewood.

Tips for caring for the white pear:

• Ensure well-drained, compost-rich soil and frost protection in its first year.
• Water only once every three weeks, allowing the soil to dry completely between watering.

Good to know

• TheTreeApp SA 2^nd edition identifies indigenous trees. Its smart-search tool uses leaves, flowers fruit and other three characteristics to identify trees. The Google Photos lens app feature also enables you to identify plants for free.
• The Sagole baobab (called the Big Tree) is believed to be the biggest tree in South Africa. Located in the far north of Limpopo, the DFFE says that carbon dating puts the tree at around 1 200 years old. According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi), its stem diameter of 10.47m, it is 22m high, and has a crown spread of 38.2m. The Sagole has the second thickest trunk in the world; a cypress in Mexico called the Tule Tree holds the record, with a circumference of around 40m.
• The oldest planted tree is a saffron pear, says the DFFE. It says the tree was brought from the Netherlands and planted in the Dutch East India Company’s Gardens in Cape Town more than three centuries ago, supposedly by Jan van Riebeeck.
• Dozens of trees and groups of trees have been declared national ‘champion trees’ by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which means they are protected under the National Forests Act of 1998. One of these is the national tree, the real yellowwood, which has been in South Africa for more than 100 million years.

The benefits of trees

Food & Trees for Africa says that trees improve well-being in several ways:

• Planting trees along streets can reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect, cooling surface temperatures by up to 9°C.
• Trees absorb carbon dioxide, approximately 7.6 billion metric tonnes per year, providing clean air and mitigating climate change.
• Well-established trees reduce flood damage and erosion.
• Planting trees in urban areas can help reduce stress and anxiety, and speed up recovery from health issues.

SA’s tree heritage

According to Sanbi, South Africa has:

• 1 823 indigenous tree species.
• 126 naturalised alien tree species (non-native species that have established themselves in the wild).
• 345 cultivated alien tree species (non-native species that are cultivated in gardens, plantations, etc).