Tag: tree planting

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A New Rehabilitation Story – Eastbrook Wildlife Biodiversity Corridor

eastbrook wildlife biodiversity corridor precious tree project

Our rehabilitation & assisted reforestation efforts are targeted at existing identified as well as potential new wildlife corridors spanning the area between Wilderness and Sedgefield. We have now added a third wildlife corridor rehabilitation project into our Projects portfolio – the Eastbrook Wildlife Corridor, in Karatara.

The corridor passes through a number of privately owned pieces of property, so buy in and collaboration with landowners is key. The corridor is significant as it runs between the Karatara and Hoegekraal Rivers, giving wildlife access to vital water sources that are often cut off as a result of impenetrable or electrified fences erected around property boundaries.

A big thank you to Chrissy Bosman for recognizing the need to restore biodiversity, protect and rehabilitate the wildlife corridors in her area, as well as for her commitment to helping us achieve our own long term vision.

Click here if you would like to sponsor an indigenous South African forest tree towards our wildlife corridors in the Garden Route – OR – visit www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject to make a donation.

Check out the YouTube video below!

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Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative – Mzoxolo Pre-Primary School

Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative - Mzoxolo Pre-Primary School Precious Tree Project

SITE #2: Mzoxolo Pre-Primary School

Mzoxolo Pre-Primary and Lawaaikamp Creche is a small school situated in the industrial area of Lawaaikamp, Thembalethu, in George. The school accommodates approximately 600 children, between the ages of 3 and 7 years (Creche and Grade R learners). There are 6 classes of  3-4 year old learners and 6 classrooms of Grade R learners (of which 3 are situated at the Primary School across the street).

The school is situated in a low-income community, where many of the community members live around the breadline and where unemployment levels are high. Fundraising  from within the Lawaaikamp and Thembalethu communities is not a possibility and the pre-primary school is heavily reliant on external,  outside-the-community funding to support the school’s maintenance and upliftment requirements.

Aside from a few trees in the front area, the grounds are absent of trees for shade and privacy from the noisy surrounds of the industrial area. 

The staff and learners of Mzoxolo Pre-Primary School, Lawaaikamp Creche & The Precious Tree Project Team Say THANK YOU WMO!

Check out the Youtube video below!


If you would like to sponsor an indigenous tree click here OR visit https://www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject.

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Received with Gratitude

This Spring we were delighted to receive a generous donation of wheelbarrows, spades, branch cutters and overalls (for our workforce) from a corporate sponsor. These practical, and much appreciated gifts have already been put to good use.

This is  a great example of how businesses can assist an NPO in ways other than cash donations. In addition, the Organisation’s South African Head Office has also been excited to share information on Precious Tree Project with all of their employees, encouraging them to support us through our various fundraising platforms: sponsor trees, gift a tree and art for nature initiatives.

A BIG thank you from all of us at PTP… let the clearing and planting continue!

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Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative – Mzoxolo Primary School

Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Initiative - WMO Mzoxolo Primary School 13 Oct 2022 Precious Tree Project

SITE #1: Mzoxolo Primary School

The Mzoxolo Primary School is situated in Lawaaikamp in George – a low income area where many of the community members live around the breadline and are largely unemployed. The school consists of 1500 learners from Grade 2 to Grade 7 with an average of 40 learners per class. Fundraising for the school from within the community is not a possibility and the school is reliant on external / outside-the-community funding to support the school and its upliftment requirements. To-date, the school relies on the limited funding provided by the Department of Education.

There is a small existing vegetable garden that feeds a small soup kitchen (linked to the Dpt. of Health’s introduction of a nutrition program for learners in 2021) that is in need of fruit trees and vegetable seedlings.

The staff and learners of Mzoxolo Primary School & The Precious Tree Project Team Say THANK YOU WMO!

Check out the Youtube video below!


If you would like to sponsor an indigenous tree click here OR visit https://www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject.

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A Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Collaboration with the World Memon Organisation

A Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness Collaboration

Precious Tree Project is collaborating with the World Memon Organisation – Youth Wing Africa Chapter in a Youth Tree Planting and Environmental Awareness initiative in George Municipality. The initiative will be focusing on planting out a combination of indigenous trees and fruit trees at a number of primary schools and learning centres in underprivileged communities in the George Municipality. We selected TEN primary schools/education centres where we spent the day planting and discussing the benefits of trees. 

A really BIG Thank you to WMO – African Youth Wing for investing in our local schools and facilitating a journey  of opening the minds of these learners a little wider to the numerous benefits of trees and the importance of the natural environment in our own health and well-being.

https://www.facebook.com/wmoworld | wmoworld.org

Watch this space and follow our WMO Africa Youth Wing Environmental Awareness journey with the staff and learners of the participating schools.

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Arbour Month and the Beautification of George

Arbour Month and the Beautification of Knysna Road, George

We joined up with a number of local conservation bodies to assist the local municipality with their beautification of Knysna Road in celebration of Arbour Month. A number of large moribund oak trees that had been growing in rows along the main street for many years required replacement. Planting a single species of tree along streets in rows or lines as a beautification method has been adopted globally for centuries, and the incredible beauty of flowering trees in full bloom along any street, whether they are indigenous or not, is undeniable.

Lines of single trees of one species can, however, make a species more susceptible to a range of pests, particularly shot hole borer. Moreover, planting out a single species of tree also restricts biodiversity since a selective species of tree will attract a selective species of birds, bees and butterflies.

This year the decision was taken to replace the single rows of moribund oak trees with indigenous tree species and plant out a double row of trees, zigzagging their position alongside the road. In addition, we planted out a small bio-mimicked forest patch of a range of different indigenous trees in the middle of the open green adjoining Knysna Road to encourage greater biodiversity to the area. Species planted out included Outeniqua Yellowwood, True Yellowwood, Saffron, Wild Peach, Harpehyllum, Tree Fuchsia and Stinkwood.

Thank you to everyone who pitched in to help keep our streets and open Spaces green!

If you would like to sponsor an indigenous tree click here OR visit https://www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject.

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Roche Diagnostics Making a Difference in the Garden Route

Roche Diagnostics has a tradition of innovation in healthcare around the globe and are committed to making a real difference in people’s lives by providing products and services for the diagnosis of diseases.

As part of making a difference in the lives of their staff, the Roche Management Centre staff participated in a team building exercise in the Garden Route. Each staff member in the team donated trees towards our Wilderness Heights Wildlife Corridor and pitched up as a collective effort to plant the trees we selected for their sponsorships.

As with all our planting sessions, we selected a range of indigenous species endemic to the site that were planted out in close proximity to one another in the form of a bio-mimicked forest patch within the larger forest itself.

Included in our mix of trees were Crotalaria capensis, Pittosporum viridiflorum, Vepris lanceolata, Elaeodendron Croceum, Rhamnus prinoides, Buddleja saligna and Rapanea melanophloeos. Here all the different tree species work as a unit to boost the presence and growth of each other. Much like team building between trees.

Thank you to Roche Diagnostics and all those staff who not only donated towards the planting of trees but planted them out as well! www.roche.co.za.

Click here if you would like to sponsor an indigenous South African forest tree and help expand this wildlife corridor in the Garden Route OR visit payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject.

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The Breath of Giving and Receiving

breathe of giving and receiving precious tree project tree planting gift a tree

Lindsay Durham gifted her longtime and special friend, Clairabella, an Outeniqua Yellowwood for her 80th birthday. As a surprise, she also organised with Precious Tree Project that Clairabella get to plant her gift out in our Wilderness Heights Wildlife Corridor.

This is the beautiful and heartfelt message captured by Lindsay in the video below.

Thank you for your encouraging words and wisdom!

GIFT A TREE

By gifting a tree you are helping us not only to assist the natural reforestation process along the Garden Route and all the direct and indirect benefits that it comes with, but you are also choosing a Gift on behalf of another that has a low environmental impact too. We have selected 11 of our favourite endemic forest tree species for you to choose from to sponsor in honour / celebration of a loved one, which will be planted out with a range of other species, in bio-mimicked indigenous forest patches that emulate the natural forest biome of the area.

If you would like to sponsor a tree for a loved one click here to gift a tree.

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Hoekwil Primary School Centenary Celebration

100 YEARS, 100 PRECIOUS TREES:

Hoekwil Primary school recently turned 100 years and in order to celebrate this huge milestone, Precious Tree Project, the staff, the school learners, their moms, dads and grandparents spent a day greening up the school by planting 100 indigenous trees and a large variety of shrubs around the school grounds.

We started the day with a short interactive group session on the importance of indigenous plants and trees – for animal, insect and humankind – then gave a quick demonstration on how to plant a tree to give it the best chance of survival.

A big thank you to all those who pitched up and pitched in to make the event such a memorable one for all.

And thank you to the school groundsmen and those school learners who have offered to maintain the trees and plants while they take root!

Click here if you would like to sponsor an indigenous forest tree OR you can go to https://www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject.

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PTP Mini Outreach Program – Lawaaikamp Creche, Thembalethu

PTP Mini Outreach Program – Lawaaikamp Creche, Thembalethu

Lawaaikamp Creche is a small school for learners under the age of 5 years. Situated in Thembalethu in George, the creche, like most in the surrounds, is located in an area where employment levels are low and funding not easy to come by from the local community members. The crèche is continually in need of assistance and more often than not, is unable to afford the upkeep of the  outdoor learning environment:  the grounds are noticeably bare and absent of trees (for shade at the very least), the vegetable patch that was started early in 2021 is bare of produce and the rickety outdoor “jungle gym” is in need of repair.  

We teamed up with local authorities to assist the school’s requirements for more trees around the ground and supplied the crèche with trees, indigenous tree seeds to germinate on-site and then plant out in the grounds over the course of the year using the planting method we demonstrated on the day. We also donated veggie seeds in order to help revive their vegetable garden.

Not only did we use the opportunity to raise awareness among these young learners about the importance of trees but to teach them about the importance of eating their vegetables too!

If you are able to assist with food seed contributions or help with the jungle gym, please contact Melissa on 084 490 8876.

If you would like to sponsor an indigenous South African forest tree and help expand our wildlife corridors in the Garden Route, click here OR https://www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/precioustreeproject.