1 The TREE is a monthly newsletter Published by TIST Uganda, a project area of The International Small Group and Tree Planting Program. Mission statement: TIST Uganda is a community initiative dedicated to empowering small groups of subsistence farmers to combat the devastating effects of deforestation, poverty and drought. Objective statement: Combining sustainable development with carbon sequestration, TIST supports the reforestation efforts of over 25,000 subsistence farmers. Sales of carbon credits generate participant income while TIST today also addresses agriculture, HIV/ AIDS, nutrition and fuel wood challenges. Address: TIST Uganda. Katungu Hill, Bushenyi Town. P.O. Box 232, Bushenyi, Uganda, East Africa. Website: www.tist.org In this Issue: • Nursery beds of indigenous trees • The best tree groves • Beating up • TIST program is good
• Trees to us TIST Uganda July News Letter 2017 2 NURSERY BEDS OF INDIGENOUS TREES We encourage Small Groups to have nursery beds of indigenous trees. Communities and individuals know the indigenous trees that are common to us are good for the environment. The common trees in Uganda are the Acacia family, Prunus Africana, Fagara, Markhmia, and the Albezia Croton Family. They improve soil fertility, texture and structure. They also add litter to the soil, which is useful to man. We are able to get their seeds easily and use them in starting up nursery beds. The roots of these trees do not harm the soil. They support the soil to be compact, crump together, and cause no soil erosion. The farmers are advised to raise-up the indigenous nursery beds in order to help encourage a good environment and cope with climatic seasons. The trees are multipurpose because in the future these trees are source of income through carbon business when they have grown into big size and have sequestered much carbon, fruits and good environment components. All in all the indigenous trees are for our bright future.
TIST Uganda expansion: Northern Uganda Fresh fields ready for quantification. 3 THE BEST TREE GROVES TIST members, its your duty to have the best tree groves. In order to have the best grove, you should keep in mind: 1. Proper spacing: The distance between trees should be (2m) 6 ft. from one tree to another for eucalyptus, and 3m (9ft) from row to row. This is minimum spacing allowed for good growth. 2. The trees should also be planted in lines (rows) to enable quantifiers and TIST staff to carry out their quantification effectively. 3. Weeding: Farmers should adopt the culture of clearing and weeding their tree groves to allow them to grow without the competition by other unwanted trees and bushes. 4. Thinning: Farmers should remove stunted trees. 5. Fire line: Also farmers should put a fire line around their tree groves especially during dry season to prevent any fire entering the groves. 6. Farmers should also fence their groves where necessary to prevent animals from entering the groves and destroying trees. Thanks farmers who have done the above for successful tree growth! Tushabemukama Apollo, Bushenyi Quantifier Fresh fields: Indigenous trees grown in Northern Uganda 4 BEATING UP Beating up refers to the replacement of weak or bad seedlings. Two weeks after planting, you should start monitoring and observing your seedlings to find out whether there could be any seedlings that are weak or have died. If you find that between 10%-30% are either weak or have died then it is better to beat up (replace) the dead seedlings. If more than 30% have died, the best thing is to replant the whole area. However, the benefits of beating up will be best achieved if it is done within a month of planting. This is the time when the surviving seedlings will be young enough to grow up with the ones that have replaced. Agaba Denis, Bushenyi Quantifier TIST PROGRAM IS GOOD The TIST Program offers training on planting trees of various species, HIV/AIDS care, conservation farming and vegetable growing, plus many others all while having a low budget.
TIST members were trained in conservation farming best practices. Some farmers did not put them into practice, but those of us who are practicing it at the harvest time have witnessed the quality and quantity of the harvest from small plots. These farmers now see this and have joined us in preparing holes for the next planting season. It is clear that seeds planted in CF holes compared with those of traditional planting have a big difference. Plants in CF holes grow quickly and in abundance. I urge my fellow countrymen and women to start conservation farming to harvest much from your small areas. Farmers in Northern Uganda during training on how to use GPS for location and field visit 5 TREES TO US The trees are important to our lives because trees breathe out oxygen and breathe in the carbon dioxide, which is dangerous to our lives.
The trees form rains for the growth of our crops, grasses and keep our environment more lovely. The trees when planted on hillsides guard soil erosion by stopping the run-off of topsoil. Trees provide timber, firewood, and poles. They provide shade for us and our animals and home for the birds. Tree leaves and roots are used for medicine to cure some diseases such as malaria and many others. “The trees bear fruits and leaves are used for medicine to heal diseases.” Ezekiel 47:12 The Bible says eat the fruits, but don’t destroy the trees. The trees are not your enemies that need to be attacked. Again, the Bible compares a tree as life. Eat the fruit but do not cut down the tree Deuteronomy 20:19 Beshubeho Jackson, Kabale Quantifier Farmers relaxing after field visit in Soroti during Baseline training and mapping