Below is the list of 'Trees of the year' from 1975 to 2020.  If you would like to find out more information about events surrounding Arbor Day, as well as the 'Trees of the Year', you can visit the DAFF (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) website, under 'Forestry', on the following address: www.daff.gov.za.

Click on the highlighted link to download the 'Trees of the Year' list.

License Application

The main objective of the National Forests Act, 1998, is to promote the sustainable management and development of forests and to protect certain forests and trees.  This is provided through the protection of all natural forests, and all trees declared to be protected in terms of the Act, as well as the regulation of certain activities in a proclaimed State forest.  It should be noted that additional environmental legislation, administered by other State Departments, also regulates natural resources.

Again this month we are concentrating on Rhus, Searsia species and in this educational section we are highlighting a quick overview to help you to recognise the various types of Rhus.

This month we are taking a break from looking at Habitats in order to complete the information on the Rhus genus, discussed in the main blog. It is probably easier if you read the main blog first. In that text I mention that Rhus are now called Searsia botanically, and that this genus is part of the Mango, Anacardaceae Family. There are a number of fascinating things about both the genus, Rhus, Searsia, and the family Mango, Anacardaceae.

Once again we are concentrating on Habitats, this month specifically looking at the trees that grow in Rocky Areas.

Habitats – Rivers
Last month we set the stage for discussing how different Habitats influence the trees that thrive there. Our first Habitat for April is Rivers.

In Sappi Tree Spotting terms, most Habitats are relatively small areas which are easy for Tree Spotters to recognise because they are formed by significant, visible, physical features such as rocks, a river, or a ravine, or even the absence of such features. Sometimes, as in Forests, Thickets or Desert, the Habitats are created by the vegetation, or lack of it. When we are looking at Grassland Plains, Karoo Plains, Desert or Mountain Slopes, these Habitats can be much larger in size, but are still easy to identify by name. Coastal Dunes and Rivers can obviously stretch for many kilometres too.

In the January text I said I would concentrate on fruit this month. However, I have dealt with the important details in the main blog. So instead, it seems a good time to summarise what we have covered so far in this section.

This month, and then in February too, we will be concentrating on the fruit of the trees. To help you understand the words we use in Sappi Tree Spotting texts, we have created this diagram of different types of fruits.