Local primary students recently got down and dirty planting young native flaxes and trees as part of the Trees for Survival initiative.
Under the Trees for Survival NZ wide project, the children of Bucklands Beach Primary School have nurtured seedlings in their growing facility at the school and finally the big day arrived when the seedlings were ready for plant out.
Armed with gumboots, parkas and gloves, the students, along with several parent helpers, teacher Jacinta Howie, Trees for Survival facilitator Eve Clarke and Half Moon Bay Rotary helpers Irena Giles and Terry Daniell travelled to Waiau Pa where during a long morning stint they planted out some 800 young plants to stabilise the land.
The site had been well cleared from gorse, hawthorn, woolly nightshade and other nasties and the soil was ideal for planting – soft rich and full of worms!
Trees for Survival is an environmental education programme which involves young people growing and planting native trees.
The programme creates community partnerships by engaging schools, their community, local businesses and councils all working together to restore our natural heritage. The aim of the programme is to grow native seedlings to plant on unstable land, to prevent erosion and improve stream flow and water quality, increase native biodiversity and offset carbon emissions. It was also recognized that growing and caring for native trees had significant educational outcomes.
Rotary Clubs throughout NZ have been to the forefront of the project, assisting schools with their individual projects and liaising with councils and schools with the organisation and providing manpower assistance for the plant outs.
In its 25 years of existence, Trees for Survival has planted well over 1.5 million trees and is active in 133 New Zealand schools.
