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“The true meaning of life, Wesley, is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”

 

This quote, attributed to Nelson Henderson, a pioneer of the Swan River Valley in Canada, during a conversation with his son, emphasises the importance of leaving a legacy.

 

The saying is appropriate for the NWU which has embarked on projects to celebrate our natural heritage by developing tree routes and walks, and also planting new trees that will live on for generations to come.

 

Routes are taking root

 

Prof Stefan Siebert from Botany says the staff and students of this subject group are excited about the new tree route projects that are currently in development.

 

The development of tree routes on all the NWU’s campuses was initially planned as part of Botany’s centennial celebrations in 2020, but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Stefan says work on the projects has resumed and blossomed through four other tree-promoting developments.

 

These are the university’s participation in the national Champion Tree Project; the involvement of the Green Team (Groenspan) student organisation in the projects; the new tree route at the NWU Botanical Gardens, and the tree statue that has been erected along the Campus Tree Route.

 

Adding one tree every year

 

The first phase is to complete the Campus Tree Route on the Potchefstroom Campus. “This route is approximately two kilometres long with 80 trees. This will be expanded to 100 trees and, going forward, another tree will be added for every year that Botany exists as a subject group at the NWU.”

 

Making the tree statue the starting point of the Campus Tree Route creates a good focus point for the tree route and raises the visibility of the statue. Every tree along the route will have a tag with basic information, such as the name of the tree, and a QR code. More information will be available when you use your smartphone or app to scan the QR code.

  • CHAMPION TREE ROUTE

    The Champion Tree Route, which is still being developed, was initially part of the national Champion Tree project in which second-year Botany students of 2019 and 2020 identified the 10 largest trees on campus.

     

    More information about champion trees is available in the Envira newsletter of the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management. Click on the newsletter’s Champion Trees button on page 2.

  • NWU BOTANICAL GARDEN TREE ROUTE

    The NWU Botanical Garden Tree Route was developed by Chris van Niekerk, curator of the garden. “Being less than a kilometre, it is shorter than the other routes, but there are about 100 trees. There is also a bigger variety of tree species, especially our beautiful indigenous trees.”

     

    This route will be used frequently for education purposes on campus, so a combination of tree tags and illustrated storyboards will be used.

  • THE GREEN TEAM

    The Green Team has already contacted representatives of the other campuses to initiate the development of tree routes there. The development has started on the Mahikeng Campus under the guidance of Prof Pieter Malan of Botany.

     

    More information about the Green Team is available in the Envira newsletter when you click on the Community Projects button on page 2.

  • THE TREE STATUE

    The tree statue is an imitation of the vachellia (acacia tree).

     

    The construction of this artwork commenced on the Vanderbijlpark Campus on 28 September 2021. The same artwork has already been erected on the Potchefstroom Campus, and construction will shortly begin on the Mahikeng Campus.

treasure our trees

LEAFY ROUTES

Prof Stefan Siebert from Botany says the focus will shift to the other campuses as soon as all three of the tree routes on the Potchefstroom Campus are fully implemented.

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