More than a 1 000 trees planted

Video

GEORGE NEWS AND VIDEO - The organisers of the tree planting event last Friday, 5 July, at the Garden Route Botanical Garden in George were overwhelmed by the response. Almost double the number of people expected turned up.

Excitement was in the air when, just after 10:30, young and old got their hands dirty for the good cause of planting about 1 500 trees.

The mass planting formed part of the eighth Eden Festival of Action, organised by Greenpop and the Garden Route Botanical Garden.

The Festival of Action is hosted over three weeks each year, with the weeks dedicated to specific age groups. This year it stretches from 22 June to 14 July.

"We host high school students over the first two weeks of the programme and adults in the third week," read a statement by the organisers.

"In 2018 we hosted the Festival of Action in the Garden Route for the first time and we are returning to this beautiful space to continue our work in the area after the devastation of the 2017 fires."

The tree planting at the Garden Route Botanical Garden formed part of the eighth Eden Festival of Action, organised by Greenpop and the botanical garden.

Finn Rautenbach, curator of the Garden Route Botanical Garden. Photo: Eugene Gunning

Finn Rautenbach, curator of the Garden Route Botanical Garden, told the George Herald that 1 500 trees of about 30 species were planted. He said it is not only a community project but also a scientific experiment.

The trees were planted on a piece of land of about 1 hectare. It will take about nine years to form a forest. He said there are many different reasons why it is important to plant trees, one being that trees contribute to the biodiversity of the area.

The event will most probably take place again next year.

Watch a video below.