Chami Devi Murmu: Jharkhand’s ‘lady Tarzan’

Chami Devi Murmu, 42, is fondly called the ‘Lady Tarzan of Jharkhand’, not because she has befriended tigers in the Muturkham Chaura and Kadel Pahar jungles of Saraikela-Kharsawan district.

She is on a mission to protect the local wildlife by saving the forests that have been fast vanishing due to the havoc caused by the timber mafia and Naxal insurgency in the area.

A native of Barisai village in Jharkhand, it has taken Chami nearly 24 years to mobilise women from over 40 villages to plant sal, eucalyptus and Acacia trees, among others, to replenish the heavily depleted green cover. Chami’s eco-brigade of over 3,000 self-help group (SHG) women has planted more than a million trees and has also developed watersheds to help raise the ground water levels in the region.

“Trees are our lives. They fulfil our very real needs for firewood and food and so I thought why not I become the saviour of our lifesavers,” said a confident Chami, adding, “Our network of women is so strong that we immediately come to know where a tree is being chopped. Our organisation, the Sahyogi Mahila group, a cluster of various SHGs, now plants trees and also protects them.”

The Santhal woman said, “Jharkhand means ‘the land of forests’ and in our local language it also means ‘a piece of gold’. For me, our forests are gold and we need to preserve them.”

(Saadia Azim)

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Churches Across Faith Traditions Plant 12,000 Trees

In keeping with the biblical mandate to care for God's creation, thousands of people from ten faith traditions have come together to plant 12,000 trees in northern Michigan.

About 100 congregations from Presbyterian, Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, United Methodist Church, Jewish, and Quaker traditions, among others, and nonprofit organizations are participating in a tree project led by the interfaith coalition Upper Peninsula Earth Keepers.

Volunteers planted the first of 12,000 12- to 16-inch White Spruce and Red Pine trees during the blessing of the trees ceremony on Wednesday in observance of Earth Day.

"This is about more than putting trees in the ground – it’s an expression by the faith communities of love and care for God’s creation," said Kyra Fillmore, Catholic Earth Keeper team member and the project’s communications coordinator for faith communities, according to the Presbyterian News Service.

Thousands of volunteers will be picking up tree seedlings on May 2 and planting the equivalent of a forest across 400 miles the following day.

"Our interfaith tree-planting effort is more than another conservation project," said the Rev. Jon Magnuson, co-founder of the Earth Keeper initiative and executive director of the Cedar Tree Institute, as reported by the Presbyterian News Service. "With prayers, hymns and the blessing of 12,000 seedlings, it's a gentle proclamation of a new consciousness and commitment among our faith communities to care for God's creation."

Being stewards of God's creation has taken on greater significance as more Christians view global warming as a serious problem.

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The Painting is by Henry Hillier Parker

Volunteers prepare trees and shrubs for Arbor Day sale

Soil and Water Conservation District workers observed Earth Day on Wednesday by preparing more than 1,000 tree and shrub orders for distribution.

Seedlings and transplants will be distributed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Saratoga County Fairgrounds.

More than 1,000 people have pre-ordered bare root plants. There will also be a variety of evergreen and deciduous bare root trees, shrubs and ground covers available for purchase at low cost on a first come, first served basis.

The species available are well suited for conservation purposes, and provide food and cover for songbirds and other wildlife.

This week is National Volunteer Week and the district relies heavily on such people to accomplish its missions and goals. All board members are volunteers — Ray Bowman, Don Monica, Tom Wood, Richard Hunter, Victoria Garlanda, Jay Matthews and Phil Griffen. These and other people helped prepare the tree and shrub orders for this weekend’s distribution.

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The Painting is by Henry Hillier Parker

For Md. Grad Student, a Time to Plant

David Ruppert's approach to preserving family trees is a bit unconventional. He plants them by the hundreds.

The Kensington native's quest to preserve and propagate the seed of local vegetation began years ago on his family's Olney property, when a magnificent white oak began to fail and produced in its death throes an abundance of acorns -- a large yield known as a mast.

"Sometimes, when they know it's the end, they'll produce a last huge one," Ruppert said of the phenomenon. "It was a truly gigantic white oak, probably one of the biggest white oaks in the county."

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The Painting is by Henry Hillier Parker

Supervisors protect historic tree in Knightsen

When George Knight settled in far East County more than 100 years ago, he planted a eucalyptus tree to mark his land.

On Tuesday, Contra Costa supervisors made it possible for the tree to stand tall for years to come in the town named for Knight.

The tree, located on Delta Road near Bartels Drive, was designated a Heritage Tree by supervisors, protecting it from being cut down and preserving a piece of Knightsen's history.

Some say the tree, with a trunk 22 feet round and an estimated height of 50 feet, can be seen from Byron.

The decision was made despite the tree straddling county and privately owned land.

The owner, Huguette Bartels, wrote a letter opposing the designation, but in the end, the community's voice was louder.

"This is something that the community supports," Supervisor Mary Piepho said, "and because of that, this is something the board supports."

Bartels is still responsible for maintaining the tree but does not have any additional obligations, said conservation and development director Catherine Kutsuris. A permit is needed for Bartels to do anything significant to the tree.

In her letter, Bartels wrote that she opposed the designation because it was a "dangerous and very messy tree" that was "not native of California." She also said the cost of upkeep was too much for her to handle.

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The Painting is by Ivan Shishkin

Enterprise Rent-A-Car continues tree-planting

For the fourth consecutive year, Enterprise Rent-A-Car will help plant one million trees this year to replace those lost to disease, fire and other natural disasters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The new trees also will help protect watersheds, lessen the risk of infestation by invasive plants and restore wildlife habitat in the forest, the car rental giant said Monday.

The project is part of the 50 Million Tree Pledge, a partnership of Enterprise, the Arbor Day Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service.

Enterprise is paying $50 million over the next 50 years to plant 50 million trees in honor of the company’s 50th birthday in 2007. That’s the equivalent of planting all the trees in New York’s Central Park every 10 days.

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The Painting is by Ivan Shishkin

Tree care: A do-nothing approach often is best

Scientists study the reaction trees have to maintenance efforts such as pruning and chemical treatments over the course of time and, in many cases, we have learned to leave well enough alone. A good example of this is the use of pruning paints and sealers. Painting a pruning cut with a black, sometimes tar-based paint was standard 20 years ago. The original intent was to prevent decay from occurring at the pruning site. However, the reality is painting won't prevent decay and can have the opposite effect.

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The Painting is by Ivan Shishkin

Efforts aimed at boosting tree cover

As Earth Day and Arbor Day arrive today and Friday, local planning officials are preparing to offer county residents incentives to help restore the area's declining tree cover.

A new program, called Leaves for Neighborhoods, will make $25 coupons available to purchase a shade tree valued at $75 or more from a participating nursery.

Planners say the county has been losing tree cover to infill and denser development for decades, as trees were cut to make room for houses. Also, development has interfered with the root systems of trees and likely caused many to die early, they say.

Meanwhile, the County Council and the Department of Environmental Protection are working toward a tree preservation ordinance and looking at zoning changes that could stem or reverse the pattern of tree losses in residential areas.

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The Painting is by Ivan Shishkin

From President Obama to NASA, Americans Are Planting Earth Day Trees

To mark Earth Day, the top politicians in the US this afternoon rolled up their sleeves and took up their shovels to plant trees at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens along the Washington, DC border with Maryland.

President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden planted trees with the Student Conservation Association in a muddy marsh beside the Anacostia River at Kenilworth.

The dignitaries walked up to the planting site with arms around the student workers, who were all wearing T-shirts that said "SCA – Earth Day 09."

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The Painting is by Ivan Shishkin

Tree planting in the driest place on Earth

The southern coast of Peru is one of the driest places on Earth. Why would anyone choose this parched location to re-plant a forest?

The strip of desert between the Andean mountains and the Pacific Ocean has an annual average rainfall as low as 1.5mm.

By way of comparison, London enjoys around 650mm a year.

It's not an obvious place to choose if you're looking for somewhere to plant trees, but for restoration ecologist Oliver Whaley the harsh environment of the northern fringes of the Atacama desert is part of the point.

By helping to restore the shrinking native forests, the aim is to benefit local people and wildlife, prevent soil erosion, and help alleviate climate change.

"If we can get trees established here, and learn how to do it with as little water as possible, then it is a model for the rest of the world," he says.

While the plight of the world's rainforests are well known, the same cannot be said of tropical dry forests. These less biodiverse, but equally remarkable forests, face threats every bit as severe as their better known cousins.

The Atacama dry forest "is really an ecosystem on its last legs," says Mr Whaley, of London's Kew Gardens - an internationally renowned botanical research institution.

The tree under threat is the huarango, Prosopis limensis, found only in the Ica region of Peru.

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The Painting is by George Caleb Bingham

AEP and Fiserv Team Up To Save Customers Money and Plant Trees

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 30, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ ----Customers of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP: 24.64, -0.45, -1.79%) utility companies who enroll in AEP's paperless billing program over the next two months will save time and money while helping the environment.

AEP and its paperless billing partner, Fiserv, Inc. (Nasdaq: FISV), will contribute $1 to the Arbor Day Foundation for every customer who enrolls during April and May. The funds will be used for reforestation projects in AEP's service territory.

At the end of 2008, approximately 7 percent of AEP's residential customers - 261,350 customers - were enrolled in AEP's paperless billing program, which allows them to receive and pay their electric service bills online. More than 2.9 million paperless bills were sent to AEP customers during 2008.

Customers may enroll for the program at www.AEPPaperless.com. CheckFree, whose name appears on the site, recently became part of Fiserv.

"Our customers who choose paperless billing find they save time and money, in addition to making a positive environmental contribution," said Dennis Welch, AEP executive vice president - environment, safety & health and facilities. "Those who enroll in April and May will make an even greater impact with the planting of trees in our service territory.

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The Painting is by George Caleb Bingham

Tree planting and reforestation in Lofiriha community, Sudan, East Africa

Every day in Lofiriha community, an area of forest the size of a football ground is being cut downAims of the project

- To grow 5 million trees by establishing 500 community tree nurseries, each growing 10,000 trees per year to provide a sustainable source of wood for the future.

- To train, educate and empower the local Lofiriha communities to sustainably manage their local environment to reduce poverty.

Budget for Each Nursery

Euro1, 000 pays for setting up and running each tree nursery for one year. This money pays for transport, training, monitoring, polythene tube, and equipment.

Project total cost

Euro 33,577

Project Duration

Ongoing — we will be opening nurseries as funds become available.

Deforestation and Land Degradation

Lofiriha is a poor community and 100% of the people live in rural areas. Wood is a necessary part of daily life, and also there is great pressure to clear forests for agriculture. The present way of life is not sustainable. Wood has always been treated as a free resource, and vast areas of woodland have been cleared carelessly without any replanting for future coming generations. This deforestation also leads to soil erosion, land degradation and ultimately climate change which is and will have a devastating effect.

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The Painting is by George Caleb Bingham

Plant a tree for every employee

Companies have been urged to come on board and plant a tree for every one of their employees. Trees help fight global warming and look good too.

City Parks is urging companies to donate and plant a tree for every employee in support of Joburg's campaign to plant 200 000 trees as a legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Jenny Moodley, the utility's spokesperson, says that not only will the tree planting be for 2010, but it will also improve the quality of the environment in under-developed townships before the end of the year.

"An average of 150 trees need to be planted to offset the carbon emissions of one person and City Parks is urging all businesses - including tree growers, cellphone providers, the construction industry, mining houses, financial institutions and vehicle manufacturers - to donate a tree for every employee in your organisation. This programme affords both small and big businesses a platform to offset their emissions based on their employee complement.

"It also encourages organisations to adopt the tree-planting programme as part of their corporate social investment initiative and organisations are further encouraged to use the programme as a team-building exercise to nurture healthy lifestyles," says Moodley.

"City Parks needs to intensify tree planting in areas such as Cosmo City, Ivory Park, Soweto, Eldorado Park, Lenasia, Westbury, Midrand, Roodepoort and Alexandra, with additional trees required to beautify main arterials, including 2010 routes to Soccer City and key tourist destinations ... 1 000 to 10 000 trees need to be planted per suburb."

The tree-planting project started in 2004, and already 136 000 trees have been planted in partnership with government departments, residents and businesses. The programme is transforming dry and dusty streets into tree-lined corridors that "act as a catalyst for environmental enhancement and socio-economic empowerment".

Trees reduce the effects of climate change by absorbing pollutants such as carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. They act as coolants, are used for medicinal purposes and as a source of food; they increase property values and the aesthetics of an area, generate civic pride, provide a habitat for valuable biodiversity, absorb car lights at night and act as a barrier against sound.

"The price of a street tree may vary from R500 to R1 200, depending on the species, age, size and girth. Ideally, City Parks aims to plant more established street trees versus saplings, as saplings are more likely to be damaged due to inclement weather and pedestrian traffic. We want interested parties to contact us as soon as possible because there is a limitation on tree planting over seasons. We need a commitment so that we can start planting trees after winter season."

Those interested in participating in the planting of trees, can call 011 712 6600 or send an email to trees@jhbcityparks.com.

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The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Hundreds of trees will green Alex

Trees are being planted at houses in Alexandra's extension seven, and residents are being challenged to maintain their environment.

Some 600 trees are being planted in Alexandra's extension seven as part of a greening project in the area.

The trees will be planted in residents' gardens; there are 1 400 houses in extension seven. The greening initiative is a joint venture between the City, the Department of Housing, the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC), Absa bank, City Parks, Gauteng housing department, the Alexandra Development Forum and extension seven residents.

"The [housing] department has sponsored R200 000 to the greening challenge project; Absa bank has provided over 500 fruit trees and we are waiting for City Parks to give indigenous trees," said Isaiah Mabua, the campaign and project manager in the department of housing.

City Parks provided an aerial map of the area before the project got under way to give direction to where the trees should be planted, according to Kgantse Mofokeng, a stakeholder liaison at City Parks.

Residents and about 40 volunteers from various NGOs attended workshops earlier this month where they learned how to plant trees and how to maintain the environment. The NGOs include Shumang, Tswaranang, Thsogang, Suncross and Rhedi, all found in and around Alex. The workshops were taught by Vic and Dave Garden Plant.

"They taught us how to dig holes and the length and width needed for the different sizes of trees. We first dig the hole, put in some bone-meal, the plant, some soil and then the compost," said Elsa Tladi, one of the volunteers.

"Some of us have been planting our own trees at our homes way before the start of the workshop."

Another aim of the initiative is to teach communities how to look after their environment.

"The department started this greening challenge by supplying residents with grass; they asked us to provide them with flowers or trees and we [decided to provide] them with trees," Mabua said.

He explained that department of housing officials would pay regular visits to the area, checking on the maintenance of people's gardens.

"The families who keep their gardens well-maintained will receive cash prizes of up to R10 000 and gift prizes like stoves, fridges and television sets. We will have as many as nine winners."

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The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Jozi's urban forest now at 10m trees, and growing

Proud of its six million trees three years ago, Johannesburg has even more cause to celebrate as the urban forest has now grown to 10 million trees with active planting taking place in the city and on periphery areas.

Since 2001 when the various municipalities combined to form the Unicity, the City has planted around 1,3 million trees, bringing the tally of trees maintained by the City to 2,5 million, with a further 7,5 million trees in residents' gardens.

The 2,5 million trees are situated within parks, cemeteries, nature reserves, conservation areas, roadsides and on the city's pavements. Johannesburg City Parks, the custodian of the trees, estimates that the trees are worth R13-billion

On satellite pictures, the city looks like a rain forest, albeit man-made, but because the city does not get the required amount of rainfall to qualify as one, it passes as an urban forest. In the 1860s, when trekkers first settled on the Witwatersrand, there was not a tree in sight, and the area of rocky grassland was dotted with the odd shrub and several streams.

City Parks' Street Tree Management Strategy originally envisaged planting 10 000 trees per year but because of a mayoral request to plant larger trees, which are less vulnerable to vandalism, theft and destruction by goats and horses, the planting quota has had to be cut back to 2 500 trees per year, for budgetary reasons. Larger trees cost R600, compared with R350 for smaller trees. Larger trees are defined as those of over three metres in height, with a girth of more than 50cm.

A priority is to plant trees in the sparse southern suburbs, and despite having planted 17 000 trees in Orange Farm and 4 000 in Soweto in recent years, around 300 000 trees are still required to green these areas.

City Parks estimates that it would need R180-million over a period of 30 years to do the job. While it has budgeted an amount of R1-million for this financial year for the purchase of trees, additional funding of R6-million is still required.

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The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Joburg's urban forest to grow

Already the largest manmade urban forest in the world, Johannesburg is planning to add thousands more trees to its landscape, greening the traditionally neglected townships.

Thousands of trees will be planted across Joburg over the next three years under City Parks's new One tree at a time campaign.

Some 100 000 indigenous trees will planted on the streets of new and developing suburbs under the campaign, which will be launched on Monday, 3 September.

According to Prema Naidoo, the member of the mayoral committee for environment, the campaign is aimed at solving greening problems caused by urbanisation. "There is a collective need to accelerate greening programmes to enhance the quality of life of every resident."

One tree at a time is an appeal to individuals and business to work with the City in building a greener and healthier Johannesburg, says Jenny Moodley, the City Parks spokesperson. The agency will plant 9 500 street trees during Arbor Month to add to the 2 100 already planted. Various completed road island initiatives will also be unveiled.

Arbor Day – when people are encouraged to plant trees - is celebrated nationally on 1 September; in 1999, the government extended the celebration for a week, running from 1 to 7 September. City Parks will run its programmes over the full month.

Some R44-million has been set aside for the City Parks campaign. "This is a huge investment in greening and beatifying our city," says Johnny Masinga, the organisational developmental adviser at Equity Aviation, one of the companies that is working with City Parks on One tree at a time. Through supporting the project, companies will have a chance to help fight climate change.

"Residents are reminded that we have a collective responsibility to nurture our greenery, as trees improve air quality, provide a habitat for wildlife and have the potential to increase property values," Moodley adds.

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The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Greening Soweto, tree by tree

When Executive Mayor Amos Masondo led the planting of 6 000 trees to launch Greening Soweto in September 2006, an ambitious project to beautify the massive township ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, he began what has become Joburg's "biggest greening revolution".

Since then, 51 821 indigenous trees, worth R46-million, have been planted along Soweto's streets and in its gardens. Through Greening Soweto, a legacy project of the World Cup, the City aims to plant more than 300 000 trees in the country's biggest township.

"We are satisfied with the progress of the project," says Jenny Moodley, the spokesperson at Johannesburg City Parks, the agency charged with the mammoth task of implementing it.

With R7,6-million set aside for Greening Soweto, it is the City's biggest greening initiative. "It is by far the biggest greening initiative in terms of implementation. The landscape of Soweto is changing for the better."

In his budget speech for the 2006-07 financial year, Masondo said: "The greening of Soweto will receive R7,6-million, which will primarily be driven by the planting of street trees to enhance the quality of life and the environment; in 2006-07, 5 000 trees will be planted."

Johannesburg Water, City Power and Johannesburg Roads Agency are on board to ensure that there is sufficient water and power, and that roads are in good condition. The World Conservation Union and the national Department of Water Affairs and Forestry have also endorsed the programme.

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The painting is by Alfred Glendening

It's tree planting time again

It can be considered an old news. But news about Tree Planting neer gets old.

Another sapling will be added to Madiba's collection of birthday trees in Thokoza Park, Soweto, to mark his 90th birthday, and the 90 990th tree planted for the Soweto Greening project.

Taking place on 4 September, the occasion will also mark the start of a month of tree planting for the City of Johannesburg as part of national Arbor Week.

"On the day, 1 000 trees will be planted at various institutions around Thokoza," says Jenny Moodley, the media spokesperson for City Parks. Madiba will be present to cut the ceremonial ribbon around the white stinkwood that will be planted in his honour.

In July 2007, the City planted 89 trees in Thokoza Park to honour Nelson Mandela during his birthday month, with the promise that a new tree would be added each year.

The tree that Madiba will be planting will be for ceremonial purposes only as City Parks has already planted all these trees, Moodley confirms. The more than 90 000 trees have been planted along main arterials leading into Soweto as well as throughout the township to green one of Johannesburg's most populated, but barren areas.

And it is a landmark target for the Soweto Greening project which is now approaching its third year. The project officially kicked off in September 2006 when Executive Mayor Amos Masondo planted the first 6 000 trees.

The target for the project is to plant 200 000 trees in the next three years. The Soweto Greening project has since also been extended to other marginalised areas, Moodley confirms.

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The painting is by Alfred Glendening

Lionel Richie plants trees in Jozi

Scores of fans shoved and pushed, desperate to catch a glimpse of legendary singer Lionel Richie, who was at Zoo Lake yesterday to plant five trees.

The trees were planted in honour of his family, as a symbolic gesture of support of City Park's Greening Soweto campaign. The campaign is aimed at transforming Joburg's dust bowels into green corridors.

"I think the Greening Soweto campaign is an important initiative and I have been part of many similar ones," Richie said during the tree-planting ceremony.

City Parks' managing director, Luther Williamson, said the five trees represented the final staging of the greening campaign. These trees brought the number of trees planted as part of the extensive greening project to 20 000, he explained.

After planting the trees, Richie signed a few autographs and promised the ecstatic crowd that he would return to Joburg for another visit.

He is in the country on his Coming Home tour, organised by 94.7 Highveld Stereo, 94.5 Kfm and East Coast Radio. His first concert performance in Joburg last night was sold out. It was "stunning" and well worth it, according to morning callers to local radio stations.

He is performing again tonight, again at the Coca-Cola Dome in Northgate. Richie has already performed a single concert each in Cape Town and Durban.

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The painting is by Alfred Glendening

UN lauds effort to reforest Appalachia's mountains

BLACKEY, Ky. (AP) — Sam Adams laid his tools aside and gently pushed fresh dirt around an oak sapling he hopes one day will be part of a hardwood forest high above this Appalachian community.

He was one of about 70 people gathered in Blackey last week to plant thousands of trees on the barren grasslands left behind by mining companies that have ripped the mountaintops apart to unearth coal, decimating entire forests.

"We've got an estimated 741,000 acres in Appalachia that are barren," said Adams, the Kentucky coordinator for the conservation group Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team. "If we put a dent in that, if we could correct that, I think it's well worth doing."

Adams and the others were volunteering for the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative, a movement led by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining and several Appalachian states to replace trees uprooted in the search for coal. The campaign is being lauded by the United Nations Environment Programme, which wants to plant 7 billion trees worldwide in the next three years to combat global deforestation.

Elisabeth Guilbaud-Cox, a staff member of the UN Environment Programme's Regional Office of North America, is scheduled to visit an eastern Kentucky mine site on Saturday to help volunteers plant more trees.

The overall goal is to plant about 38 million trees on Appalachian mine sites.

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The painting is by Frederik Marianus Kruseman