People of all backgrounds are urged to get involved and thousands are educated and made aware of the benefits of the many different aspects of indigenous trees and forests.
In Knysna the Garden Route National Park, Knysna Working for Water and Knysna Municipality came together to form a dynamite Arbor Week team this year.
The Arbor Week team visited ten different venues in Khayalethu, Greenfields, Concordia, Hornlee and Brackenhill during the week. This year the planting effort was focussed on crèches and clinics in the community.
Where teams visited crèches, little ones were brought into the loop and helped to plant and name their trees. They also learned how to care for them and why trees are so important. During the course of National Arbor Week 2014 the Knysna team planted a record-breaking 120 trees at various venues throughout Knysna.
The team wishes to thank the Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries for its donation of 100 trees, as well as all of the venues for receiving and looking after their Arbor Week trees.
Historically, South Africa has not had a culture of tree-planting and it was not until the 1970s that a real need to promote tree-planting was recognised. The concept of a National Arbor Day was initiated by the 1973 Green Heritage Campaign. Following requests from various bodies, the then Department of Forestry obtained approval in 1982 to establish National Arbor Day that has been in celebrated since 1983.
Arbor Week:
* Promotes a better knowledge of trees, particularly indigenous trees;
* Stresses the necessity for everyone to plant trees and care for them;
* Highlights the vital role of trees in our lives;
* Contributes to the achievement of a green, dignified and healthy environment in all parts of South Africa.
National Arbor Week in South Africa is a time when South Africans of all ages are encouraged to celebrate the beauty and importance of trees.
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