Now in its fourth year, Greenpop’s annual Reforest Fest will be held once more over two weekends in May. Greenpop’s reforestation efforts from the over the previous three years has led to the planting of over 8000 trees, native to South Africa’s southernmost indigenous forest, Platbos. This year, Greenpop have set themselves the target of doubling this figure, and aim to plant a further 8000 trees across the two weekends.
Platbos, a relic forest containing many trees of over 1000 years of age, forms part of one of the rare and endangered ecosystems of the Western Cape and has a unique mix of indigenous trees from coastal and mountainous regions. Like many natural forests around the world, parts of Platbos have been cleared over the past decades for cultivation. Today, many of these cleared areas are being taken over by dense invasive alien vegetation, which pose a serious fire risk to the forest.
In response to this issue, Melissa and Francois Krige of Platbos have launched the Trees for Tomorrow reforestation programme. Through this, endemic seeds are harvested from the forest, reared in the Platbos Forest Tree Nursery and then replanted to expand the forest. It’s important to plant these endemic trees because they are adapted to drought and serve as a food source for the bird and animal species relying on the Platbos ecosystem.
Due to the popularity of the event and the need for reforestation efforts, the Reforest Fest is happening twice this month – first with the FAMILY fest and second with the FRIENDS fest. However if you, like me, cannot attend the fest this year, you can still get involved by becoming a tree sponsor. Greenpop is looking for companies (and individuals) who are willing to sponsor trees or add any other value to the festival – interested parties should email marleen@greenpop.org.
For more information check out the website, Facebook event and webtickets to purchase yours.
