The theme for the 2012 Arbour Week Campaign is "Our Forests - Our Future".

It’s that time of the year when we are called upon and encouraged to do our bit for the environment by planting trees.

Every year, two tree species are chosen for the Tree of the Year 2012, one common and one rare species. The Tree of the Year initiative aims to create a better understanding of trees and encourage people to plant or get involved in various greening practices.

This year, the chosen trees are:
Common Tree: The water-berry (Syzgium cordatum)
The water-berry is a very attractive garden tree, popular with birds, bees and other insects. It has creamy white flowers present on the tree from October to June. The tree does well in gardens and is quick-growing from seed. Click here to find out more.

Rare trees: black mangrove (Burguiera gymnorrhiza) and red beech (Protorhus longifolia).

Black mangrove, (Burguiera gymnorrhiza)
The black mangrove is one of the most important and widespread large-leafed mangrove species; occurring in almost all mangrove ecosystems of the world, including KwaZulu-Natal and Transkei, tropical East Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific islands. This tree is protected in terms of the National Forestry Act and a permit must be obtained before plants or even parts of the plant can be collected. It’s a favourite of sunbirds, the mangrove kingfisher, white-eyes and bulbuls.

Red beech (Protorhus longifolia)

The red beech is a medium to large, evergreen tree, which belongs to the mango family. The red beech occurs in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal coastal areas, Limpopo, the Drakensberg Escarpment in Mpumalanga and the Northern Province. It has glossy dark green leaves and greenish-white flowers that appear from July to October. The red beech is suitable to plant in gardens and parks and adapts to most garden soils.

Tips for tree planting

• When planting a tree, never dig a hole deeper than necessary.
• Plant the tree with the root collar at ground level or slightly higher to allow for settling.
• Remember to remove all containers, wire, plastic and string from the trunk and roots before planting.
• Make sure that the plant is deeply watered after planting.