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For most winter-weary Capetonians, September is not only the start of spring, but also Arbor Month, when residents plant trees to improve their environments.

In support of this important initiative, the City of Cape Town has prepared a comprehensive programme that includes the planting of 1 200 trees throughout the city; educational sessions to foster awareness about the importance of trees for adolescents and children; clean up campaigns and an awareness raising campaign supported by leaflets, posters and relevant literature.

The tree planting programme is part of a bigger initiative to plant 2 010 trees before the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Arbor Month is an extension of Arbor Week, which is celebrated annually from 1-7 September throughout the country to encourage the planting of trees by individuals and groups, and raise awareness of climate change. This is the second year that the City has lengthened the weekly programme into a month on account of its popularity.

Not only do trees beautify the environment and filter the harmful carbon emissions that are fuelling global warming, they also create jobs for the people who are involved in their upkeep.

To increase public awareness of indigenous trees, “the Monkey-thorn (Acacia galpinii) has been selected as the Arbor Month common tree of 2009 and the Tree Fuchsia (Halleria lucida) is the rare official tree of the year,” says Councillor Gerhard Ras, Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services.

“We will also be planting other indigenous and exotic tree species such as various Ficus, Rhus, Acacia and Celtis spp, and some trustworthy species like Harpephyllum caffrum, Ceretonia siliqua and Syzigium spp best suited for the soil of a specific area," he says.

The City has also included two international initiatives in this year’s Arbor Month programme. These include Environment Online (ENO), a global virtual school for sustainable development that will organise a global tree planting day on Monday, 21 September; and World Parks Day (Saturday, 19 September), which underscores the importance of urban parks in creating healthy societies.

The City will also host an exhibition in the Civic Centre, Cape Town between 21-25 September and will partner the Institute for Environment and Recreation Management (IERM) to stage a fun walk in Stellenbosch on Heritage Day, 24 September.

Arbor Month 2009 kicked off on 21 August with the launch of the upgraded children’s play facility in Maynardville Park, and will be followed by various community events throughout September in which ward councillors, local businesses, schools and communities will join hands to plant trees. The City also encourages organisations, clubs, schools, churches and businesses to arrange private plantings.

Some of the trees will be planted in parks, cemeteries, and other City facilities such as civic centres and libraries; others will be planted in newly developed areas in support of greening initiatives.

The idea of celebrating trees and their benefit for humankind traces its origins to Nebraska, USA in 1872.

Arbor Day was first celebrated in South Africa in 1983. So positive was the reaction that the government extended the celebration period to create Arbor Week. Schools and businesses are encouraged to contribute to the greening of the country and to recognise the advantages of trees in improving air and water quality and as a renewable source of food, shelter and fuel.