FORESTS and trees provide a wide range of products, services, and goods that are crucial to human survival and climate regulation. Besides timber and wood products, forests also provide a wide range of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) which support livelihoods.

Unfortunately, Zimbabwe is losing 262 349 hectares of forest land to deforestation each year. Deforestation and subsequent land degradation are a threat to millions of people in Zimbabwe and around the world, affecting livelihoods, well-being, food security, water security, and energy security.

The major drivers of deforestation are clearing land for agriculture, settlement expansion, wood energy, mining activities, veld fires and illegal logging activities.

Deforestation at this rate demands massive tree planting by all stakeholders. People can participate in reforestation and afforestation by planting trees, which is seen as a very engaging and environmentally-friendly activity. It has been said that until you dig a hole, plant a tree, water it, and make it live, you have not understood the true meaning of life.

To reverse the impacts of deforestation in Zimbabwe, we need to plant at least 25 million trees annually. Tree planting should also be complemented by sustainable utilisation of indigenous forests, allowing degraded forest to naturally regenerate. In time, the forest cover will improve.

Planting trees can be done at any time, but the rainy season is the best as it provides the natural moisture necessary for the seedlings to thrive and mature into big trees and forests.

Zimbabwe has set aside the National Tree-Planting Day on the first Saturday of every December. The day is set aside to motivate the nation to plant and conserve trees, to enlighten the nation on the importance of forests and to mitigate the impacts of climate change. This year the theme of national tree planting day is ‘‘Trees and Forests for Ecosystem Restoration and Improved Livelihoods’’.

To restore forest ecosystems, trees must be replanted on all land uses including former forest land, degraded lands and agricultural land. This can be done using tree seedlings or seed balls to establish woodlots, woodlands, orchards and green belts. Seedballs have emerged as an innovative way to achieve large scale afforestation and restoring of degraded landscapes.

With a little luck and good timing, sometimes simply sticking a tree in the ground and walking away can be enough for it to survive. But knowing how to plant a tree the right way, will ensure success every time.

Tree planting processes should start with the identification of suitable spaces and the right species. The right tree in the right place is a simple but effective rule for any successful tree planting. Poor species selection causes low success in achieving tree planting objectives.

Trees are most likely to thrive in places where they are used to growing naturally or where they have been planted successfully before. Usually, they are adapted to the local climate and soil and are likely to support far more biodiversity than exotic species.

There is no need to replace trees with exactly those that were previously present. A mixture of species brings more benefits.

One can grow non-native tree species and other native tree species without causing the extinction of local flora and fauna while also providing benefits to people.

Nowadays, tree planting for community and social needs is embraced as part of rural development balancing ecological, socioeconomic benefits and subject to participatory processes so that it is firmly under the control of local people.

Land preparation is an extremely important step before planting because after species selection it becomes the biggest difference between a healthy and unhealthy tree. Land preparation is about treating the land to help improve tree planting conditions.

Proper land preparation includes site evaluation, soil improvement, digging the proper hole at the correct spacing and prepping the vegetation. Site preparation and planting holes vary according to the site’s needs and species being planted.

Improving soil texture and structure, especially in areas deprived of nutrients, is essential for the health of a tree.

The best soil amendment for tree planting is adding organic matter or compost. Among organic matter are well-rotted manure and soil conditioners, which contain nutrients that become absorbed by soil microbes and plants.

After you plant trees, the most important thing you need to do is keep them well-watered until they become established. Water the tree as soon as you plant it. The water will break up clumpy soil and allow new soil to fill in and settle air pockets.

Good watering practices result in plants that establish more rapidly and thus become more quickly resistant to drought, pests and disease. The watering regime will depend on the tree species, site and climatic conditions. The trees are normally watered once a day for the first week after planting, then slightly less frequently for a month, then once a week once established.

Watering too much or too little can harm your plants. If you are consistently watering the tree and it is not responding well, you are probably overwatering. If the leaves are turning brown, burning around the margins, drying up, or falling off, and the soil appears dry, water more.

Everyone and every sector need to become involved in tree planting programmes if we are to accelerate tree planting.

If everyone plants at least two trees on national tree planting day we would be able to reverse deforestation and the climate change hazard that we are now experiencing while enjoying the intrinsic benefits of trees.

His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde ED Mnangagwa and the First Lady, Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa who is also the patron for the environment recently led a tree planting event in Bindura. The event set the pace for tree planting for this coming tree planting season.

Further to encourage tree planting and forest management, Forestry Commission and Africa Youth Initiative on Climate Change launched a tree planting competition titled Trees and Forestry Fact Challenge. Any individual or organisation that plants a tree can share their pictures and videos planting trees and share facts on trees or forests and stand a chance to win prizes.

We all have an individual responsibility to protect our country’s future and climate through planting trees.

Fortunes Matutu is a forester with the Forestry Commission and has a special interest in social forestry.