2. Trees for tourism
Trees for Tourism (TfT) is a vehicle for tourists, tourism-operators, and
other companies and institutions affiliated with the tourism industry in
South Africa, to counter-balance the tourism-related footprint.
To make this work, TfT facilitates the “purchase” by tourists and tourism-
related companies of indigenous trees, to be planted out in old woodland
and appropriate degraded areas to re-create pristine forest eco-systems,
safeguarded for future generations.
By increasing the surface area of existing indigenous forests, re-connecting
indigenous forest-remains and creating new woodland in appropriate areas,
the Cape’s biodiversity will be made more robust and the Cape’s carbon sink
capacity will be enhanced, counteracting the effects of climate change.
TfT has selected Platbos Conservation Trust as the operator for the selection
and preparation of appropriate reforestation sites, planting of trees and
decade-long maintenance of the sites to protect the juvenile forests from
fire and re-encroachment by alien invasive vegetation.
4. Key points
TfT is the facilitating agent. The operations on the ground are the responsi-
bility of TfT’s partner Platbos Conservation Trust (PCT). PCT represents more
than 10 years of reforestation experience on different sites and in different
forest habitats. PCT is considered as one of the main authorities when it
comes to reforestation expertise with indigenous trees in the Cape.
Trees are planted on secure sites, immune against change of landownership
and protected under the auspices of DWAF (Department of Water Affairs &
Forestry).
Trees are planted to create a pristine forest-eco system, enhancing both the
carbon sink effect and biodiversity. Trees will live for hundreds of years and
the forests will renew themselves, storing carbon for generations to come.
Reforestation will only occur on suitable degraded sites which have been
previously cleared from alien invasive trees. No pristine nature will be
sacrificed and the added benefit is that alien invasive tree-stands will be
replaced by indigenous forest. Reforestation will not take place on land
suitable or earmarked for agriculture and does not collide with food-
production.
Reforestation sites will be maintained for years to come: it will be protected
against fire and alien invasive seedlings will be removed. Maintenance will
only come to an end once the forest has matured sufficiently to be self-
resistant against fire and alien invasive vegetation has been fully eradicated.
5. How it works
Trees can be “purchased” through TfT on an ad hoc basis, on specific
carbon emission and offset basis or on a subscription basis.
Upon receipt of a “purchase order”, trees will be planted out in one of the
approved sites during May to September as a function of suitable weather
conditions. This means that trees will be planted out in any case within
eight months after receipt of the “purchase order”.
Contributors will receive a “Certificate of Donation”, will be listed on the
TfT’s website (which will be launched in the winter of 2011) stating the
number of trees “purchased” and can use the “Certified Reforestation
Partner of TfT” logo on their website and further communication or
“Verified Carbon Offset Partner of TfT” in the case of linking the footprint
of the partner’s transactions with tree planting contracts.
Trees planted for a specific partner or contributor can be identified (on a
pari-passu block basis) and can be visited.
The price for a single tree to be planted has been set at R 95 per tree for
2011 and 2012. This price includes the purchasing of the respective trees
through approved indigenous tree nurseries, the preparation of the site,
the planting of the trees, the maintenance of the reforestation site for a
minimum of 10 years, land-costs, site inspection and approval costs and
all related administration costs. TfT is not subsidized.
6. Once upon a time
Once upon a time, the indigenous forest cover in the Cape was much bigger
than it is today. In many parts of the Cape, nothing of that forest cover
remains but fragments in gorges which are protected from fire and which
were economically inaccessible.
Most of the forests in the Cape were ruthlessly exploited and never
replanted. Yet, in the soil where they once grew, they will grow again.
And this is shown by the forest expansion of the unique Platbos Forest in
the Uilkraal valley in the Western Cape’s Overberg region and the
reforestation pilot project to re-connect an area cleared from alien
invasive trees with an indigenous forest remnant higher up in the same
gorge in the private nature reserve of farm 215, located in the same
Uilkraal Valley on the opposite side of Platbos Forest.
Between these two reforestation projects, more than two thousand
indigenous trees have been planted during the past 5 years. In these years,
essential experience and knowledge was gained to allow for the launch of
a large scale reforestation scheme, which in the future will expand beyond
the two initial sites.
The two initial sites have total different characteristics, the one being a
botanical mystery : an ancient dry forest in deep sand and Africa’s Southern-
most forest and the other a riverine gorge forest. There is little overlap
between the tree-species in the two reforestation sites in spite of the fact
that the two sites face each other from the two sides of the same valley.
7. Carbon sink
Forests are carbon stores and they are carbon sinks (meaning, they take
up more carbon than they emit) when they increase in density or area.
Expansion of existing forest eco-systems and establishing virgin forest-
ecosystems therefor creates carbon sinks and results in a net positive
balance of carbon captured by the forest.
Forest eco-systems do not only store their carbon in the trees itself, (the
live woody tissues) but also to a substantial degree as slowly decomposing
organic matter in litter and soil. Because of this, integral forest-ecosystems
as promoted by TfT are more efficient carbon-sinks than any collection of
planted trees which is not managed to develop into a pristine forest-eco
system.
Reforestation through TfT does not replace an existing carbon store since
reforestation through TfT will only be contemplated on degraded land which
stores practically no carbon or even releases carbon through advancing soil
degradation.
The reforestation sites are secure for future generations and safeguarded
against change of ownership of the land on which the sites are located.
The sites are under fire-risk management.
8. Footprint calculator
First this : by the time a tree has reached 100 years of age - it has created
6’600 kg of molecular oxygen and as such supplied one person with oxygen
for 20 years; it has drawn 2’500’000 kg of water up from its roots which it
has released through evaporation and as such has been a rainmaker of note.
Exactly how much carbon will be stored by the forest eco-system as a
(calculatory) result of the planting of one tree and its subsequent lifetime of
-say- 100 years (which is conservative: Platbos has trees of 1000 years old
and 400 year old trees dominate the farm 215 gorge forest) depends on
numerous variables, but as a conservative assumption, 2 tonnes may apply
(the slowest growing tree in the least favourable part of the forest).
A person living in an average household generates 10 tonnes of carbon
emissions per year. If the person lives up to 70 years of age, this simply
means he has to plant 350 trees to be a carbon neutral member of his
household.
Depending on the nature of your product, transaction and your specific
requirements, TfT can calculate what the respective carbon footprint is
and advise you on the amount and time schedule of trees to be planted.
Please contact us for this purpose at any time.
9. The way forward
The two initial reforestation sites measure 14 hectares in total. Negotiations
are under way to acquire another 20 hectares of land complying with the
conditions as defined by both the TfT program and PCT. Contracts have been
completed for 12’000 trees which will be planted out during 2011.
The philosophy of TfT is that the land to be brought under reforestation
should pay for itself. Landowners will receive a certain percentage of the
money paid per tree to make it worth their while. In return, the respective
landowner will formalize prescribed arrangements within the title-deed in
favour of PCT ensuring the protection of the forest eco-system against
change of ownership and economical use of the respective site. The forests
will be secure for future generations.
Tree planting will be done on a high density basis, mimicking the natural
formation of forest eco-systems and forcing the canopy upwards as soon as
possible, speeding up the natural fire-resistance. As a consequence around
6000 trees will be planted per hectare. In this decades-to-a-century long
process of canopy creation, some trees will dominate and other trees will
be crowded out.
In order to achieve this ambitious project of planting over 200’000 trees in
the coming years, TfT will actively look for partners in the tourism related
industry to create an interactive network with multiple portals feeding into
the genuine “Greening” of the Cape’s tourism industry.
Please talk to us if you want to become part of TfT’s network.
10. An initiative of
www.platbos.co.za
www.serendipityafrica.co.za
www.farm215.co.za
