Forestry, during the donation of trees to the Mandela family as part of Arbor
Week 2006 in Eastern Cape, Qunu Village, Eastern Cape
5 September 2006
Premier,
Mayors and councillors,
Distinguished guests,
Programme Director,
Ladies and gentlemen:
1. Introduction
I am honoured to be here today at the home village of Nelson Mandela to
celebrate National Arbor Week 2006. There is much that we can learn from Madiba
and one of his most important messages to us has been to support the youth and
invest in the next generation. As our theme for this year's Arbor Week is
âPlant a Tree â Grow our Futureâ we thought it fitting that we hold this event
here in Qunu.
In adopting this theme we are recognising that forests and trees are a very
important part of the lives of people in rural areas and that as the government
we need to do more to create jobs and help to uplift our people through trees
and forests.
President Mbeki in his State of the Nation Address last year said to us that
during our second decade of liberation we must eradicate poverty and
underdevelopment. And our Arbor Week theme for this year highlights the value
of trees in ensuring sustainable economic development and economic growth and
how trees and forests contribute towards creating a better life for all. Trees
support people living in and around forests because people can collect a wide
range of items growing in the forests such as wood, medicines and food. There
are also industries that use trees for paper, construction and furniture as
well as having a number of other business opportunities related to forestry
such as tourism, sales of wood, charcoal production, beekeeping, sawmills and
more.
Expanding our forests creates employment and business opportunities and
contributes actively towards the governments programme to achieve faster
economic growth and job creation, the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative
for South Africa (AsgiSA). Trees and forests however take many years to grow so
an investment today will yield rewards for our children like we nurture our
children, so we need to nurture our trees and forests to protect them
particularly against damage from fires.
2. History of Arbor Week
Programme Director, I am sure there are many people in the audience today
who are being exposed to National Arbor Week for the first time. I would like
to use this opportunity to give a short history of Arbor Week and why we
celebrate this event in South Africa.
Arbor Day was started in America by Mr J Sterling Morton in 1872. For many
years he had been planting trees, shrubs and flowers in Nebraska, the state in
which he was living because it was a treeless plain and he proposed to his
government to start a national day to plant trees. Success was achieved on the
first Arbor Day on 10 April 1872 where more than one million trees were planted
in Nebraska. If you visit Nebraska today you would not be able to see that it
was once treeless.
Arbor Day has now spread beyond the United States (US) and is observed in
many countries of the world. In South Africa National Arbor Day was established
in 1983 and in 1996 the new government recognised the importance of trees
extended Arbor Day to Arbor Week. During Arbor Week we celebrate South Africa's
trees and raise awareness of their importance by:
* promoting better knowledge of trees, particularly indigenous trees
* highlighting the important role that forestry plays in our economy,
especially in the rural areas
* raising awareness of the dangers of veld and forest fires
* highlighting the vital role of trees in our lives by organising a variety of
greening events
* encouraging everyone to participate in tree planting and greening activities
because of the benefits of trees not only to the economy, but also to the
environment â for example trees protect the soil, and they improve air
quality.
Our previous campaigns during Arbor Week focused on:
- greening - where communities and schools were encouraged to participate in
tree planting and greening programmes for beautification and improvement of
their immediate environment
- commercial value of trees - where the benefit that are derived from making
products out of trees such as paper, planks and medicines where highlighted. It
also emphasised the employment and business opportunities provided by trees and
forests.
- veld and forest fires - here the focus was on the prevention and combating
of uncontrolled wild fires and encourages the formation of Fire Protection
Associations (FPA)
- remembrance tree planting - where communities and individuals were
encouraged to plant trees in memory of their loved ones and individuals who
contributed to community development and nation building.
3. Forestry in the Eastern Cape
Ladies and gentlemen, over the past few years work has been done to increase
forestry in the Eastern Cape.
A year ago the previous Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry announced the
launch of the Strategic Environmental Assessment for Forestry (SEAF) in the
Eastern Cape. This study has now been concluded as the first step in the
Department's programme for the development of the forestry sector in the
Eastern Cape.
The study has confirmed that the Eastern Cape Province has potential for at
least 100 000 hectares (ha) of new plantation forestry. This shall be developed
over a 10 to 20-year period and will require close collaboration between
national and provincial government departments, traditional leaders, local
government and communities and the forestry industry. My Department is working
very closely with these partners to roll out the implementation of this
programme.
Development of this potential will create 5 000 new jobs on plantations in
the province and will generate returns of R500 million per annum for
participating communities. The added benefit of this opportunity is that the
creation of additional timber resource will attract value-adding and processing
industries, which will also employ people in the future. It is important to
recognise that the majority of this development will take place in rural areas
and will directly impact on the lives of rural people. This programme should
create new opportunities for our people and we look forward to seeing the
results of this work in the development of the Eastern Cape economy. Already in
five villages around Qunu my Department has planted between 600 and 700
trees.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Eastern Cape Province has a wealth of indigenous
forest resources, high in biodiversity. My Department is making a concerted
effort to make the benefits of forests and trees accessible to all our people.
The Participatory Forest Management Programme (PFMP) is one such initiative to
involve local people; women, men and the youth in the management of their
natural resources. Unless we look after our natural resources, our trees,
forests, soil and water, our children will not be able to share in the
benefits. My Department encourages local communities to get involved with the
sustainable utilisation and management of the forests in their areas. And we
will be running workshops in October this year to share information with
communities on what activities are allowed in both the indigenous forests and
plantations.
4. Forest fires
Programme Director, the issue of veld and forest fires is of great concern
to me. Not only do wild fires threaten and destroy our forests and agricultural
resources but they also threaten the lives of our people. I am calling on all
stakeholders and communities to make the control of fires a priority. While we
are spending resources on developing new forests, the existing plantations are
under threat from uncontrolled burning and arson. It is estimated that annually
the veld and forest fires cost the economy R3 to R5 billion. This will result
in job losses and withdrawal of investment in the province, unless the
situation is brought under control.
My Department has an active unit that assists farmers, forestry companies
and communities to establish Fire Protection Associations in an attempt to
proactively address this problem. My appeal goes out to all authorities and
community leaders to communicate this as a matter of urgency to their
constituencies.
5. Forestry associated industry
Ladies and gentlemen, it is important that you are aware that over and above
the contribution of commercial plantations; forests and trees offer a wide
range of benefits and opportunities for local economic development. My
Department is currently undertaking an assessment of all forestry enterprises
in the province. This extends to include charcoal production, roadside firewood
merchants, sawmills, woodcrafts and forest-based tourism activities. This
information will be captured in forestry reports for all district
municipalities as a basis for developing a forestry sector development plan
which will become part of municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDPs).
Forestry has long been neglected as a means of achieving local economic
development and needs to change. With the support of all stakeholders in the
region, forestry can contribute to creating a better life for our people.
6. Conclusion
To conclude, I would like to emphasise that forests and trees play an
important role in sustaining the livelihoods of the poorest of the poor as well
as in creating wealth and jobs for the nation. The Eastern Cape is a region
that is now recognised as being of national importance in the future
development of the forestry sector. I call on all leaders, government officials
and communities to work together to make this a reality and a success in the
Eastern Cape. Let's plant a tree and grow the future of the Eastern Cape.
Finally, I dedicate this tree that we are planting today in honour of Nelson
Rolihlahla Mandela who has inspired our nation and the world with his vision,
his leadership and his commitment to the people of South Africa.
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
5 September 2006
