City's Arbor Month Activities Kick Off

Some 1 200 trees will be planted throughout the city. This will be a phase of the 2 010 trees the City plans to plant before the start of the 2010 Soccer World Cup

According to Cllr Gerhard Ras, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services, the tree planting initiative testifies to the City's commitment to promoting a healthy environment and beautifying the city.

"Spring signals new life and growth. It is the ideal time for everyone to plant a flower, shrub or a tree. Plants act as natural filters to clean our air by reducing carbon emissions, thus mitigating the effects of global warming," Cllr Ras said.

"The Monkey-thorn (Acacia galpinii) has been selected as the Arbor Month common tree of 2009 and the Tree Fuchsia (Halleria lucida) is the rare official tree of the year.

The Acacia galpinii will be planted in the Jack Muller Park in Bellville.

We will also be planting other indigenous and exotic tree species such as various Ficus, Rhus, Acacia and Celtis spp, and some trustworthy species like Harpephyllum caffrum, Ceretonia siliqua and Syzigium spp best suited for the soil of a specific area," he says.

Some of the trees will be planted in parks, cemeteries and other City facilities such as civic centres and libraries.

Councillor Ras said: "This year we celebrate with various community events where ward councillors, local businesses, schools and communities will plant trees. We will join the community of Vrygrond at noon on 21 September to plant trees as part of Environment Online (ENO) - a global environmental and education drive," Ras said.

In support of the central theme, 'Plant a tree - save our planet', City Parks has adopted a theme of 'Our Park, Our Space', The Department will join Parks for Life, an international initiative created by International Parks and Green Space Alliance (IUPGSA) to celebrate World Parks Day on 19 September.

The City will host an exhibition in the Civic Centre, Cape Town between 21-25 September and will partner the Institute for Environment and Recreation Management (IERM) to stage a fun walk in Stellenbosch on Heritage Day, 24 September."

Issued by:
Lisle Brown: Media Liaison Officer
City of Cape Town
Tel: 021 400 3065
Cell: 084 888 1901

Media Queries:
Yasmine Colley: Service Co-ordinator
City Parks
City of Cape Town
Tel: 021 400 3296
Cell: 084 625 0416