This coming Monday will be celebrated by many as Spring Day, with many office staff dressing up in bright summery attire.
Though, strictly speaking, September 21 is the actual start to spring, my hay fever says it has already started with all the coral trees in bloom — the joys of spring blossoming for us sinus sufferers.
My father and father-in-law strongly believed that when the coral tree is in bloom it is time to start planning your summer crops.
It is sad and disappointing that many have forgotten that September 1-7 is national Arbor Week.
In the past, there was a lot of hype around Arbor Week, with schools and many companies having tree planting ceremonies.
It’s time to bring it back in full swing with the planting of some indigenous trees or shrubs.
The main aim of Arbor Week is to call on the community to plant indigenous trees as a practical and symbolic gesture of sustainable environmental management.
With growing urbanisation and deforestation contributing to climate change, one would imagine there would be a resurgence in campaigns to plant trees.
Every year a tree is chosen to celebrate Arbor Week and in 2025 the Tree of the Year in SA is the white and red milkwood.
That does not mean you cannot plant any other indigenous tree, of which there are numerous varieties, such as my personal favourite, the majestic yellowwood, and for my bonsai collection, the coastal olive.
Arbor Week is not the only time of the year to go on a tree planting quest.
Daily, I read of some wonderful endeavours worldwide where countries, communities and even individuals have made a difference.
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan and Suriname in South America hold the honour of being the only nations that are completely carbon neutral, due to their tree-planting endeavours.
Bhutan holds the world record for planting the most trees in an hour in its one million tree-planting drive.
Its constitution mandates that at least 60% of the country’s land remains under forest cover.
Suriname has since 2016 driven efforts to conserve and restore its mangrove forests, which cover 93% of the small country.
This proves that one does not need to be a first-world country with piles of cash to be able to make a difference.
Then we have countries with an abundance of cash that use these extra resources to achieve long-term sustainable goals.
The oil-rich countries are also playing their part with the $4bn (R70.5bn) Great Green Wall, which aims to create a barrier of trees and vegetation across the continent to halt the Sahara’s expansion.
Separately, Saudi Arabia’s Green Initiative focuses on planting 10 billion trees and restoring 40 million hectares of degraded land, with a goal to reduce carbon emissions.
It is not only countries that need to make a difference. Individuals can also make a major impact in combating climate change.
Here I refer to Jadav Payeng on Majuli island in India, who dedicated 40 years of his life to planting a tree a day, transforming a barren wasteland into a forest larger than New York City’s Central Park.
Then we have the 67-year-old Yi Jiefang who planted more than two million trees in the deserts of Inner Mongolia over 12 years to honour her son’s memory and fulfil his wish.
Locally, we have pioneers in conservation such as the Wilderness Foundation Africa CEO Dr Andrew Muir and the Mantis Collection’s Adrian Gardiner, who have ensured that we have a natural heritage to be proud of for generations to come.
Incidentally, both were involved with and influenced by conservation icon the late Dr Ian Player.
Urbanisation is one of the biggest killers of the environment with green landscapes giving way to large paved-areas, houses, factories and shopping malls.
I was shocked recently to see the number of mega warehouses/factories in the once lush Greenbushes area.
That is why green belts are vital in the inner city as a green lung and to cool the urban heat island that cities form.
Besides, trees are the first line of defence in the fight against climate change.
We do not have to plant a million trees to make a difference for generations to come, but this Arbor Week, we can all start preparing to plant at least one tree. One a day would be first prize.
And make sure it is an indigenous tree. They are usually fast growing, drought resistant and almost always can survive our local adverse weather conditions.
I have a couple of yellowwood trees I have been saving for this occasion.
This week in history:
2001 — Flooding recorded in the Plettenberg Bay and surrounding areas
Dam levels
66.35%, slightly down from previous week’s 66.93%
Impofu slightly down to under 49.65%
Weather safety tips:
With summer fast approaching, always remember lightning safety tips, such as not seeking shelter under trees or bus shelters during thunderstorms.
Now on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: WEATHER GURU
The Herald
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.