By David Okul
June 7, 2019
While tree planting is an event, tree growing is a process.
It may seem petty, but Silvica believes that a difference exists between tree planting and tree growing. As such, you will find that most of our articles emphasize growing trees instead of planting trees.
In the real sense, there is a distinction between tree planting and tree growing. While tree planting alludes to an event, tree growing is a process. Tree planting refers to the event of taking a seedling and putting it in the soil. After that, the tree planting is done. Tree planting is common, especially on days like World Environmental Days and International Day of Forests. It is usual for people to plant trees on these days and forget about them.
Worse still, some projects would charge people for tree planting and leave the tree there to battle with the harsh environment. While in the field, trees face competition with other plants, predation from herbivores, and extreme weather conditions.
Planting out activities should go beyond the actual tree planting. Tree husbandry activities after actual planting include weeding, watering, and protection from pests and diseases. Traditional tree planting activities end when the seedling is planted in the ground.
In contrast, tree growing is an investment as trees are long term projects. In tropical areas of Africa, such as East Africa, the fastest-growing trees will take at least three years to mature. But most tree species will take around 8-15 years. It refers to management throughout the life of the tree.
We want governments, organizations, and research centers to focus on tree growing instead of tree planting. It also involves an aspect of protecting and providing nutrients for the tree seedling beyond the planting stage.
That is not to say that the traditional tree planting does not work. However, it needs a great deal of good timing and luck for success.
Like most parts of the tropics, there is a huge potential of tree planting and growing in most parts of the African continent
Agroforestry provides an opportunity for Tree Growing.
Agroforestry is one of the most cost-effective methods for promoting tree growth. It means that trees are grown alongside food crops in the field. The farmer, therefore, tends to both trees and crops. Some farmers would claim that trees grown with crops will take up the space needed to grow food crops. While that is true, the farmer should also consider the benefits of properly planned agroforestry which include:
- Control runoffs and soil erosion. Meaning better soil and water
- Nitrogen-fixing trees will help fix nutrients to the soil
- Reduced insect pests and diseases.
- Additional products for the farmer. For example, firewood, fruits, fodder, or even timber.
- Increased biodiversity for a healthier system
- And of course, more trees mean more carbon sequestration
Governments and organizations should encourage agroforestry projects across the world.
Promoting sustainable forestry through blogging and technical support
The blog offers a variety of resources for forestry projects. In case you need support in growing trees, feel free to contact us. We also appreciate any form of donation that would enable us to produce more materials to promote reforestation in Kenya and beyond borders.
If you want to support community tree growing initiatives, there are also platforms for that. For instance, Plant-for-the-Planet App allows you to fund tree growing activities at the comfort of your home. All the monies received go to support tree growing activities in local communities directly.
More about tree nursery operations
David Okul is an environmental management professional with over 10 years experience on donor projects, conservation, forestry, ecotourism, and community-based natural resources management. When not working on active environmental management projects, I spend my time writing for Silvica on a variety of topics
