GEORGE NEWS - George municipal councillors celebrated Arbor Week by planting 80 Coral trees along Knysna Road near the Garden Route Mall.
Twenty of these trees and a Yellowwood were donated by the Kraaibosch and Welgelegen Estates as the drought and recession meant less money for new plantings.

This section of the road was originally lined with red flowering gums and to recreate this beautiful feature, the parks department decided to plant a local indigenous species, the colourful Coral tree.
The national tree of 2010 is the Fever tree, traditionally found in the lowveld region of South Africa.

Since 2001 the municipality has planted 27 000 trees in the area. Of these, 17 000 were fruit trees that were planted in previously disadvantaged communities in order to promote food security.
Kraaibosch and Welgelegen Estates have reached their target of planting 1 000 trees within their own complexes during September 2010. The Kraaibosch Estate Homeowners Association also intends building a dam in the Modderkloof to save water for landscaping.

In South Africa, Arbor Day was first celebrated in 1983, more than a 100 years after Arbor Day was first celebrated in the USA.
The day was conceptualised by the owner of Arbor Lodge, Sterling Morton, who famously said: "Other holidays dwell on the past, Arbor Day plans for the future."

In 1999, the South African government changed Arbor Day to Arbor Week.

Article and photos: Ilse Schoonraad


Councillor Belrina Cornelius plants her Coral tree while (from the left) Kraaibosch Estate manager Bill Bayley, George mayor Basil Petrus and George director of environment André Smith provide moral support.


The Coral tree has beautiful blooms.