Students plant trees for Arbor Day

Students from the Leeuwkop Prison School celebrated Arbor Day by helping Johannesburg City Parks workers to plant 67 Jacket Plum trees in Sunninghill.
YOUNG students from the Leeuwkop Prison School got a chance to celebrate Arbor Day on Friday, 16 September by planting 67 Jacket Plum trees at the corner of Malindi and Nanyuki streets in Sunninghill to the north of the City.

City Parks with children from Leeuwkop Priosn SchoolPatrick Meyer from City Parks and learners from Leeuwkop Priosn School get ready to plant treesThe students helped Johannesburg City Parks workers and community members take the trees out of plastic bags, and took turns to shovel dirt and compost around them in the ground.

Much to their excitement, they were also taught proper planting and mulching techniques.

The activity, while simple, generated a lot of interest among children who asked a lot of questions regarding the tree.

The Jacket Plum, also known as the Indaba tree or bushveld cherry, is an evergreen and hardy tree. Its red fruit is a tasty treat for humans and a firm favourite with birds and animals.

The ward councillor for the area, Annette Deppe said planting trees taught students about the value of forests.

“Trees can hold large amounts of water that prevent sewer damage, generate more oxygen and save energy by providing shade for houses,” said Deppe.

City Parks’ operations executive for environment and infrastructure, Patrick Meyer, said Arbor month was an opportunity to highlight the importance of trees and to get communities involved in planting trees.

Leeuwkop Prison School learners learn how to mulchLeeuwkop Prison School learners learn how to mulch“Forming partnerships with communities is an important aspect that will help mitigate the effects of climate change,” said Meyer.

Andrew Speirs, a resident in Sunninghill who joined the school in planting trees, thanked City Parks for donating the trees. “We love being part of this. It is important for the community and we are definitely planning to plant more trees,” said Speirs.

The first Arbor Day took place on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska. It was the brainchild of Julius Sterling Morton, a Nebraska journalist originally from Michigan.

Nebraska that time was a “treeless state” and Morton felt that its landscape and economy would benefit from the wide-scale planting of trees. He set an example himself by planting orchards, shade trees and wind breaks on his own farm and urged his neighbours to follow suit.

His proposal was adopted, and the idea of observing such a holiday spread to other states later in the 1870’s.