Tree Talk, March 2004

With this Tree Talk, 15,500 schools will receive free eucalyptus seeds. Other readers are welcome to buy seed from the National Tree Seed Centre, PO Box 23889, Kampala: Tel: 286049

arch No.1 M Vol. 3

2004

Did you know that Uganda does not have enough eucalyptus for electricity poles? It is true! Yet in eight years on one hectare you can grow 1000 good poles. This will earn you 35 million! Start today.

More seeds for woodlots This is terrible. We are spending 200,000/= a term on firewood.

One year ago, Tree Talk sent eucalyptus seeds to 13,000 primary schools and 2,500 secondary schools. Many of you have started growing good woodlots. That's great because Tree Talk has discovered

That's right. We have to cook a midday meal.

that most schools are spending a lot of money on buying wood!

Don't worry, headteacher. Tree Talk has come with seed. We can grow a woodlot.

schools. UPE does not cater for fuelwood. Yet pupils, students and teachers must eat.

Enclosing eucalyptus seeds Our research shows that schools are spending a lot each term on firewood: North 178,000/=, East 220,000/=, Central 315,000/=, West 220,000/=, SWest 170,000 /=, West Nile 130,000/= and Karamoja 220,000/=. Firewood is a very big expense for

But do not worry. The same research showed that most schools have between two and five hectares and are very interested in growing woodlots. Even better: with this issue of Tree Talk, we enclose more eucalyptus seed. This is a second chance to start a woodlot!

Tree Talk wins Uganda Wildlife Club prizes Good things happen to Tree Talkers! On 11 December 2003, Tree Talk and a Tree Talk reader were honoured to win the Elly Tibakanya Award. This prize is given out every two years by the Wildlife Clubs of Uganda to people and groups that help the environment. The Wildlife Clubs of Uganda is a wonderful organisation. Do you have a wildlife club in your school?

Jane Biira, of Bulighisa PS, Kasese, holds her prize with teacher Bwambale at the ceremony at Sheraton Hotel. Jane also won cash and visited the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre. Jane has planted over 20 trees and likes writing to Tree Talk.

It is easy to get one. Just write to Wildlife Clubs, PO Box 4596, Kampala. Tel: 041-222229. You will receive a free copy of the WIldlife newletter every term. The organisation also visits school. To be a good wildlifer, you need to plant trees, help animals and clean the environment.

Tree Talk won in the category for NGOs. G Kiyingi, S Walaita and C Watson accept the prize on behalf of Tree Talk. Kiyingi works for the Forestry Inspection Division. Walaita is a forester who works for the National Tree Seed Centre. Watson edits Tree Talk at Straight Talk Foundation. They all love trees!

National competition

Tree Talk will have a national competition for the best school woodlot in 2004 so start now.

T-shirt winners Meanwhile 25 teachers win T-shirts now for the good letters you sent Tree Talk about the woodlots you started in 2003. See page 4 for the list of winners.

Teachers to win forestry training in 2004! Tree Talk, Forestry Department and European Union are proud to be hosting 30 primary and secondary teachers to a three day training at Nyabyeya Forestry College in Masindi from 5 to 8 April. Chosen from 30 districts, these teachers had shown great seriousness about tree growing. There will be another training later in 2004. So start your woodlot! You could also win a training and learn new skills! Write to us at Tree Talk, PO Box 22366, Kampala.

2 Tree Talk, March 2004

In November Tree Talk had a quiz. We asked you: What is your favourite tree? Fifty clever Tree Talkers won the T-shirt prize. Here are your drawings and reasons for liking the tree. Well done! Your best trees are:

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My favourite tree

Other winners

•Mango • Mulingati • Mulberry (Enshaari in Runyankole) • Sesbania • Moringa • Neem • Avocado • Jack fruit • Eucalyptus • Pawpaw • Orange tree • Kabaka anjagala • Lusambya • Musisyo • Coffee tree • Teak • Omusyola • Musizi • Guava • Bark cloth tree •Mahogany

A jackfruit tree by E Ahurra, S4, Rena Academy SSS Hoima

My favourite tree is the jack fruit. Its fruits are sweet. I sell some for money. B Bashir, Bweyale, Masindi My favourite tree is the Barkcloth tree. It shades the coffee plants and provides cloth for burial. Its name in Alur is bongu. P Okwonga, P7, Kyamulalama PS, Kiboga

Seeds and leaves of the bark cloth tree My treasured tree is kabaka anjagala. Its seeds are like gnuts and give wonderful oil. It is simple to grow, easing work to its master. JM Bisanga, Kiregesa School, Kyenjojo

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I love the mulingati. It has very good shade and can accommodate 150 people. Small fruits act as local glue. It is beautiful and has short roots so it can be planted near the house. W Bahati, teacher, Rwimi Primary School, Fort Portal

There is a tree that I love with all my heart. It is called omusisyo. It controls wind and soil erosion and gives timber and medicine for flu and stomach pain. Its flowers are decorations for weddings. Animals feed on its leaves. N Musiime, teacher, Nyamugasani PS, Kasese I like the coffee tree. It is a source of income and a good tree by appearance. A Nansambu, P6, Joy and Jully Kindergarten

There is a tree near my home. I like it very much. Other people like it too. It is called Sesbania or omunyeganyegye. Bees get nectar from the flowers and in turn we get honey. The roots fix nitrogen. The tree stops soil erosion. Sheep and goats enjoy the leaves as food. D Bazarirehi, Ndeego PS, Kabale I like the Neem tree because it is beautiful and gives me many things. It treats malaria and syphilis. J Kibirige, P7, Mbalye RC PS, Nakasongola

A neem tree by J Kibirige

I like the orange tree. It bears fruits continuously. I sell them to help the family. It prevents the wind from blowing off our huts. N Okoboi, Pallisa Complex Project SS I like the avocado tree. Its fruits give income. Its branches give fuel. Its leaves are medicine that cures cough. M Uwimana, P7, Gisozi PS, Kisoro

A mango tree by Y Murungi, S3, Kagadi Peoples ' SS, Kibaale

A teak tree by Abiribo

My favourite tree is teak. It is a very fast growing timber. Its leaves rot easily to form manure. The roots resist termite destruction which used to be serious on our eucalyptus trees. R Abiribo, Bilijia PS, Yumbe

A musizi tree by Peninah My favourite tree is a musizi. It grows fast and is helping our banana garden. I am going to plant five more for fees for university. J Peninah, P4, Nabumali Boarding PS, Mbale My best tree is eucalyptus. It offers beauty, goodness, medicine and timber. HS Werishe, Nyondo Dem School, Mbale

Eucalyptus by HS Werishe

I like the mango. Its fruits pay for school fees. Scientifically it repairs the ozone layer. Local leaders chair meetings under it. It is a classroom when classrooms are not enough. P Rwendeira, teacher, Kyampagi PS, Kyotera I love our mango. It has been there for over 30 years. Even my father and mother do not know who planted it. The bark and leaves are medicine. The fruits are rich in Vitamin C. The tree is home to butterflies and grasshoppers. At night interesting sounds from the tree encourage us to stay outside even longer. H Ntambula, Trinity College Buwagi, Jinja

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I like the tree enshaari (mulberry). We enjoy eating its fruits. They grow in bundles. A Ayorekire, P7, Nganwa Junior School, Kabwohe, Bushenyi

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If your name appears here as an artist, letter writer or on the list to the right, you are a winner. We will send your T-shirt to your postal address.

Arua

S Draku, Adum SS; C Kenyi, Teacher, Kaligo P/School

Bugiri

R Osike, Alliance Victory

Busia

A Ouma

Iganga

H Kintu, Bubogo Comprehensive Secondary School

Kabale Kaliro Kampala

D Bazarirehi, Ndeego Primary S J Onyango, Kaliro College SS S Tiko, P7, Juniors Primary Sch.

Kamuli

T Nabirye, H Mulumba, pupils, Kayembe Primary School; C Isaabo, Kiyunga Primary Sch.

Kasese

L Kamurali, P7, Kanyabusogha Primary School; S Nyakahamba Bulighisa PS; M Mwesige; S Muranga, Teacher, St John’s Maliba Primary School

Kibaale

J Seruyange, S4, Kagadi Peoples Secondary School

Kiboga

A Mundua, Kyamulalama PS

Kisoro Koboko

V Ngirabakunzi, P7, Sooko Ps H Anguto, Dranya Primary School

Kyenjojo Kumi

J Kato, Kyenjojo Primary School S Etomet, Kodukul Primary Sch.

Masindi

S Achuka, Camron Drug Shop, F Santoline, All-Nations Drug Shop; B Bashir, Bweyale Primary School H Werishe, Nyondo Demonstration School

Mbale

Mubende I Okodel, Kisaana Islamic PS Ntungamo JB Ahaisibwe, Headmaster, Ngomba II Primary School Rukungiri E Byarugaba, Teacher, Garubunda Primary School Soroti J Omurwok, Teacher, Madera Boys Primary School, S Adongu Tororo

B Orisa, Orago Primary School

FLowers of the lusambya tree I love the lusambya. It encourages agroforestry. Its' leaves give manure. It grows straight so that cover crops receive enough sunshine. It is good for construction. We use its leaves for covering potatoes, cassava and yams when cooking. They are not poisonous like buveras. A Icumas, teacher, Madera Boys Boarding PS, Soroti I love moringa because it gives us medicine, cooking oil. You can get healthy when you get its leaves. G Wamani, Businsii East, Hoima

A moringa tree by G Wamani

3

Tree Talk, March 2004

What is a forest? Forests appear to be a collection of very huge plants growing on their own. The very big plants are trees. But is that all forests are? A collection of trees? No, the truth is that forests are complicated and wonderful ecosystems.

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Learn about forests They are full of many animals and small and big plants all interacting together.

Bwindi forest is a home to the mountain gorrillas and provides water to thousands of communities around it

Did you know that the seeds of some trees cannot germinate unless they are first eaten by a bird or bat? Can you guess what will happen if that bird or bat becomes very scarce? The answer is that the tree will have difficulty in germinating and will become rare and may be an extinct soon start to die out.

When you walk through the forest you see many small seedlings waiting for such an opportunity to grow. But if we create a big gap in the forest by cutting down many trees, there will be problems.

Can you trace and label this drawing? Who and what are living in for this tree. Send answers to Tree Talk and win a copy of Environmental Education in Uganda's Tropical Forests for your school!

Quiz!

The big gap will change the micro-climate in the forest. The climate in the forest can become too hot or too dry. So it will be much harder for those young seedlings to replace the old trees. That is why people cutting trees in the forest should be careful about the size of the gap that they make. They should try to keep the gap as small as possible. Most of us live near forests and get benefits from them. We can create forests as well as destroy them.

We have two types of forests. 1. Natural forests like Budongo and Mabira. 2. Artificial forests such as eucalyptus and pine plantations and school woodlots.

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If we cut one tree from a forest, we create a gap in the forest canopy. This lets in the sun and is a great opportunity for plants to grow and occupy a new space in the forest.

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So everything in the forest depends on everything else. That is why forests are delicate, and we have to be careful about disturbing them.

The articles and pictures on this page were adapted from Environmental Education in Uganda's Tropical Forests: A guide for primary school teachers, published by EU and Forest Department.

Life is not simple in an environment without forests. We can protect natural forests by planting artificial forests.

But the answer is very simple. You can! Every forest started with just a few plants. Then more plants started coming in a process called colonization. Then there is a process called succession. This is when bare ground is first covered by herbs, then grass, then shrubs and finally by trees.

So we can make the process faster by growing trees. We can plant them in the form of woodlots in our schools or homes. We can also tell our communities about this great idea. Cutting down forests/trees without planting new ones is dangerous. Where can we get tree seeds for planting? Well, Tree Talk sends to your school. You can also collect your own seeds from good and mature trees around your

school or home. This costs nothing and you get to plant trees that you like that are adapted to your environment where you found them.

What about the problem of termites? Yes, termites are a big problem. In many areas they destroy the eucalytpus which is a very useful tree.

Emergent layer

Canopy layer

Succession

s as gr

year one

bs ru sh

ng si ni t o l s co ore f

mature forest

100 years

Under story layer

Herb layer

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Succession usually takes about 100 years. That is too long for us to wait.

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You may wonder how you can plant a forest, more so when you look at very big forests like Budongo.

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How can I plant a forest? If you have a problem with termites destroying your eucalytpus, look for trees that the termites do not like to eat. Many good African trees are resistant to termites, including mvule, lusambya, mahogany, teak and tamarind. You can grow those instead.

Tropical rainforest

4 Tree Talk, March 2004

Our school started a woodlot as the president asked. We planted 100 eucalyptus trees from the Tree Talk seeds. Seventy (70) are surviving. They are 1m tall. A Mucyuguzi, P6, Sooko PS, Kisoro We received a packet of eucalyptus seeds last year. We planted 150 seedlings. They are now 2.5 m tall. We also planted 30 teak trees. They resist termites. Thank you, Tree Talk! G Ajuma, Teacher, Bilija PS, Yumbe Our school started to grow trees as the president asked. We planted the eucalyptus seeds sent. They are now 1m tall. Ingabire Jane, P5, Gisozi SDA PS, Kisoro Thanks, Tree Talk, for leading in environment conservation. Before the seeds were sent, we had planted 2 acres of eucalyptus. We are now proud of a woodlot of about 3 acres. We give pupils some to plant in their homes. Headmaster, Rubimbwa PS, Kanungu We are happy for the eucalyptus seed. We now have 214 eucalyptus trees at 1.5 m tall. They are healthy. We will plant more when you send. Ojilong R, Agric teacher, Kakere PS, Kumi We responded to the president's call to plant woodlot. We have planted 80 eucalyptus: all survive. Headmaster, Maranatha PS, Hoima We started woodlots with 480 eucalyptus trees. 326 trees survived. Our school is planning to replace the ones that died. The trees have

started attracting the attention of people passing by and the environment is now very beautiful. Oola S, Kyamulalama P/S, Kiboga Yes, in Bukaliha P/S trees were planted. Out of 400 planted, 281 trees are surviving. They are about 3.5 m tall. Taaka Beatrice, Bukhaliha P/S, Busia Truly, we don’t have plenty of wood in our area. We are ready to make wood plenty by planting lots of trees. Adongu Samson, concerned Tree Talk reader, Soroti. We planted 150 moringa. Even before this, we had planted some others. Our school will be rich with moringa products next year D Onzimuke, Teacher, Katiyi PS, Arua.

Students and teachers of Mt Rwenzori Alliance SS, Kilembe pose at their nursery bed. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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In the last issue we asked you to tell us how your woodlot is growing. We received 25 excellent letters. Some of you have over 300 trees surviving. All 25 writers and every letter on this page wins a T shirt!

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Letters and photos from Tree Talkers

Our seedlings are doing well at the nursery bed. We are clearing where to plant them. Thank you very much for sending us seeds. We shall make Uganda a green country as it was before.Pupils, Victoria PS,

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In the background is our woodlot Teacher and environmental club, Ryamabengwa PS, Bushenyi

Plant trees in a public place and WIN! Tree Talk wants you to plant at least five trees in a public place. You can do this as a club, class, school or private person such as a pupil, student or teacher.

Transplanting Musizi: Pupils and teachers of Linghole PS, Pallisa ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Thank you for sending us moringa. We had never seen it before, hope to see it from the seeds you sent. We promise to look after our seedlings to get mature trees that are very important as we hear. The photo shows our woodlot. Tree planting group, Balyanika PS, Kamwenge

This is what you need to do. • Find nice seedlings of any good tree. • Find a public place such as a trading center, church or along a road. • Ask the LC, priest/reverend, shopkeeper or any other person to give you clearance to plant. • Plant atleast five trees and remember to protect them. • Send photos of the event to Tree Talk with a letter signed by the LC I or other authority who officiated to: Tree Talk, PO Box 22366, Kampala.

The first 25 responses win Tree Talk T-shirts!

TREE TALK is a joint venture of the organisations below. Funded by Forestry Inspection Division, Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment. Produced by Straight Talk Foundation: EDITOR: C Watson WRITERS: S Walaita, SP Amunau, DESIGN: MeB. Kalanzi, G.b Mukasa PHOTOGRAPHER: G Awekofua ILLUSTRATORS: Arnold Birungi PRINTER: The New Vision Technical Reviewers:: Gaster Kiyingi, P. Jacovelli

Send us more! Pupils of Kitemba PS, Kibaale, watering their trees.

Forestry Inspection Division, Baumann Hse, Parliament Avenue, Kampala Tel: 340684/250311 Fax: 340683.

Uganda National Tree Seed Centre, PO Box 23889 Kampala Tel: 286049

Straight Talk Foundation, 45 Bukoto St. Kamwokya, PO Box 22366, Kampala Tel. 031-262030/1