The target is to plant 200 000 trees in dry and dusty Soweto by the end of the year. Already well on the way, City Parks has a number of tree-planting projects on the go.

WITH thousands more trees being planted in the dusty, denuded areas of Soweto, this area may reach its urban forest status sooner than expected.

The next big tree planting event planned by Johannesburg City Parks is on 22 April, when the world celebrates International Earth Day. Some 15 000 trees will be planted by the utility in Bram Fischerville and Meadowlands as part of the City's drive to green Soweto and other marginalised areas.

City Parks has a target of planting 200 000 trees by the end of this year, says Jenny Moodley, its marketing and communications manager. With the Earth Day project and the 24-hour extreme park make-over planned in May for Diepkloof, the tally of trees planted since 2006 will grow to over 78 000.

Trees destined for Soweto

But to reach its target, City Parks needs the help of the private sector. And it is about to embark on a campaign, endorsed by Executive Mayor Amos Masondo, to raise awareness and funds for this massive project from corporate Johannesburg.

"We strongly believe that beautifying an area is a catalyst for civic ownership." And, what's more, with each tree the quality of life of all Joburg citizens improves as trees are natural sequesters of carbon dioxide.

Forming part of the One tree at a time campaign launched by City Parks during Arbour Day celebrations last year, the utility has set aside R44-million to make this project a reality. In past efforts to turn Soweto into an urban forest by 2010, it worked closely with non-governmental organisations such as Food and Trees for Africa and private individuals such as former motor racing champion Jody Scheckter.

Extreme park
On 8 and 9 May, City Parks will attempt one of its biggest projects to date, creating another 24-hour park in Diepkloof, Soweto; this follows the successful completion of the park in Wilgeheuwel Park in Roodepoort, also built in 24 hours, in June last year. But this time, the area will be double the size of the previous project and will include a splash pool, a water feature, play areas and sports pitches over-and-above all the usual park trimmings.

And on Arbour Day on 1 September, City Parks plans to plant 60 000 indigenous trees in one hour in Soweto. Moodley is urging the private sector to come on board, either by donating indigenous trees or donating funds.

"We want to make parks the preferred outdoor facility for Johannesburg residents, by creating quality recreational spaces." City Parks is also in talks with Birdlife South Africa to develop a partnership.

To cut down on losses, on these projects the utility plants only indigenous trees with a girth of 80 to 100 millimetres, standing at least 1,5 metres tall. These specimens come at a hefty price, however - costing up to R1 000 a tree. Good local varieties are Rhus lancea (karee), Celtis Africana (white stinkwood) and Combretum erythrophyllum (river bushwillow) because of their moderate size and taproot systems.

International Earth Day is celebrated each year on 22 April to mark the onset of spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere. It has been a world event since the late 1960s. For more information on making a donation to City Parks, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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