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In Praise of a Tree
Let us pause for taking inventory
To measure the debt we owe the tree
For the searching root that knits the soil,
To cooling shade for those who toil,
The air we breathe, nature’s greatest gift
And the leaf that heralds each season’s shift.
Forget not the fruit that feeds man and beast
The sturdy frame that builds the home
And the paper on which you read this poem
The tree gives all and asks no price
Even making the axe that ends its life.
Anonymous
TREE PRUNING PROGRAMME
Johannesburg City Parks, the custodians of the city´s green spaces are extremely mindful of where and how tree maintenance programmes are undertaken. With over 6 million trees, including 1.6 million street trees in Johannesburg, JCP strives to address maintenance related concerns timeously.
To download programme click on link below.
treepruningprogramme
LET´S TALK ABOUT TREES...
Did you know that Joburg is the most ´treed´ city in the world?
Some of our city´s trees date back to the early 1900s, when the then Parks and Estates Department started planting trees on the sidewalks and pavements in the old Johannesburg Region. Initially, street trees were a ´whites-only´ concept. Trees on Soweto´s sidewalks were only planted from the 1950s by the then Administration Boards.
However, the post-apartheid City Council has ensured that tree-planting in formerly neglected areas like Soweto is a priority. With the amalgamation of all the previously advantaged and disadvantaged councils, such as Dobsonville, Lenasia, Soweto, Johannesburg, Alexandra, Midrand, Sandton, Randburg and Roodepoort, the Parks department took on the responsibility of maintenance and planting of all street trees. At present it is estimated that there are 1,3 million street trees throughout Joburg.
There is much more to trees than merely beautifying the city and improving the aesthetics of the urban jungle:
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT TREES
Trees soften the hard landscape of a city.
Trees play an important role in cooling down built-up areas and roads in the hot temperate climate of a country.
Trees absorb pollutants from the city’s air environment coughed up by the industry, transport and housing systems. By filtering the air, trees improve its quality.
Trees reduce noise levels along roads and highways.
Trees help create a living biosphere within the city. They attract birds and insects into an otherwise lifeless working environment.
Trees have a calming effect on motorists who would otherwise be stressed while cooped up in their hot vehicles, crawling to and from work in heavy traffic.
Trees screen off areas that are unsightly for the city skyline.
Trees also depict the climatic seasons.
Trees prevent soil erosion and stabilise river banks.
Trees add value to suburban properties.
Trees help promote environmental awareness among residents and children of the city.
Satellite imagery of the Johannesburg area shows up as a forested area. This in turn creates a climatic weather change in the area to create more rain to sustain the forest biome. (NOTE: ´biome´ refers to the fauna and flora naturally occurring in a particular area.)
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Parks