Arbor Week is observed annually in South Africa during the first week of September. The program is overseen by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, South Africa’s custodian of forestry.
September is also heritage month, and as we commemorate Arbor Week, the department focuses on the country’s champion trees, which include some of the oldest, largest, and most culturally significant trees in the country. The Sophia Town Oak Tree and the Sagole Baobab Tree in Limpopo are examples of heritage trees.
National Arbor Week is an excellent opportunity to encourage all South Africans to plant indigenous trees as a practical and symbolic gesture of environmental sustainability.
It allows the government, commercial sector, non-governmental and community-based organizations, and the general public to participate in “greening” their towns. In communities, trees are planted and human settlements are greened.
As a result, it is critical for the general people to collaborate with partners in local government and community-based organizations.
Greening refers to an integrated approach of planting, caring for, and managing all vegetation in urban and rural environments in order to provide many advantages to communities.
Greening in South Africa takes occur in towns, townships, and informal settlements, because the latter were historically disadvantaged in terms of park planning and tree planting in streets and open spaces.
What is the significance of Arbor Day?
Arbor Day is a holiday that commemorates the planting, management, and protection of trees. For ages, communities all throughout the world have devised different methods to appreciate nature and the environment.
In South Africa, how is Arbor Day observed?
Every year from the 1st to the 7th of September, schools, businesses, and organizations are invited to participate in community “greening” events to improve the health and beauty of the local environment and to suggest a green future for South Africa.
When was the first Arbor Day observed in South Africa?
1983
Arbor Day was first observed in South Africa in 1983. The event piqued the interest of those who recognized the need to raise awareness of the importance of trees in our society.
How did Arbor Day get started?
At a meeting of the State Board of Agriculture on January 4, 1872, Morton suggested the first “Arbor Day” tree planting holiday. The date for the event was decided for April 10, 1872. Prizes were given to counties and individuals who planted the most trees correctly that day.
