The civil rights organisation AfriForum started Arbour Day (1 September) and arbour month (when the whole of September will be dedicated to the planting of trees) by planting a forest elder (Nuxia floribunda) in the Afrikaans Song Garden of the Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge (FAK) at the Voortrekker Monument.
According to Chris Boshoff, AfriForum’s Coordinator for Environmental Affairs, this initiative forms part of AfriForum’s dream of ensuring a sustainable future for future generations.
A study conducted in New York, USA proves that the addition of 343 additional trees per square kilometre decreases the incidence of asthma with as much as 29% in children between the ages of three and five years.
“Trees are a heritage; it constitutes an important part of the ecosystem and is a natural resource without which no one and nobody would have been able to survive. Indeed, it manufactures oxygen and provides shade and food to people and animals. Traditionally, people across South Africa celebrate Arbour Day on 1 September, but for maximum impact, AfriForum will devote the whole of September to the planting of trees, when 130 of our branches planting more than 1 000 trees across the country,” Boshoff says.
Johan Jansen van Vuuren, Project and Communications Officer at the FAK, says that the project not only leaves a green foot print across South Africa, but also anchors Afrikaans anew. “The forest elder that was planted in the Afrikaans Song Garden gives our descendants the chance to sit in the shade of Afrikaans and relax and grow.”
AfriForum’s arbour month will focus on two trees this year:
The general tree for 2017:
| Botanical name | English | Afrikaans |
| Ziziphus mucronata | Hairy buffalo thorn | Blinkblaar-wag-‘n-bietjie |
The scarce tree for 2017:
| Botanical name | English | Afrikaans |
| Euclea pseudebenus | Ebony tree | Ebbeboom |
It is not necessary to plant only these specific trees, however; people can plant any tree that is indigenous to their specific area.
“AfriForum wants to encourage our members, schools, churches and the community to participate in our arbour month across the country. This is a new season for South Africa, and just as indigenous trees play an important role in the country’s wellness, it also symbolises the country’s people and the unique contribution that each one can make to ensure success and prosperity,” Boshoff concludes.
SMS your name to 45354 (R1) to donate a tree to AfriForum’s arbour month initiative.
- Click here for the information document about AfriForum’s arbour month initiative: https://antiek.afriforum.co.za/afriforum-arbor-month/