TIST
September 2021
CHEZHUMAI
TIST, growing islands of biodiversity across the globe
What is biodiversity, different kinds of life in one area, like animals, plants, fungi, and the microorganisms like bacteria, all together make up our natural world. The different species and organisms work together in ecosystems to maintain balance and help life to thrive on this planet. TIST program empowers subsistence farmers through carbon funding to grow trees and practice conservation farming for sustainable incomes. TIST program is not just for the farmers benefits, it works for environmental sustainability, for the planet to maintain natural resources that could be used prudently by the current generation and for the future generations to meet their needs. By growing trees and practicing conservation, agroforest, TIST has developed thousands of islands of biodiversity in four countries that would remain undisturbed for more than three decades doing good to the environment.
TIST Program, a unique example of social enterprise, farmers small groups, started in developing continent Africa and replicated in India in 2003. TIST Program in India has over 2.2 million trees in different groves, island of biodiversity that is benefitting the farmers and the environment.
TIST Tree Planting India Pvt. Ltd Flat A, Plot 69, 26 th Street, Sankar Nagar, Pammal, Chennai 600075. Mobile : 9840299822 Email: josephrexontist@gmail.com Skype: a.joseph.rexon / Web: www.tist.org
Good Tree: Indian
Rosewood Indian Rosewwod is an erect deciduous tree. It grows to the height of 25 meter and 2-3 meter in diameter. It has leathery leaves which are up to 15 cm long. The flowers are whitish pink in colour. Its crown is oval in shape. The fruit is brown, and pod like in shape. The fruit is dry and hard. The sapwood is white to pale brown in colour and the heartwood is golden to dark brown in colour. Indian Rosewood is mostly propagated through the root suckers and seeds. It requires fertile well drained soil. Seeds are soaked in water for 48 hours before sowing. Seeds are germinated in three weeks. Young Rosewood needs full sunlight. It requires dry to wet soil. Young plants are well watered until established. Indian Rosewood holds many medicinal properties. Rosewood oil stimulates new cell growth, regenerate tissues, and helps minimize lines and wrinkles. It helps balance both dry and oily skin. It can prove useful against acne. Its wood is used for the making furniture, doors, windows, ship floors, plywood, skis, musical instruments, carvings etc. Because of durability Rosewood is often used in the martial art weaponary, particulary as the shaft of spears and in the gun staves. Its oil is used in Perfumes.
Periyar Small Group members from Thiruthani Cluster have planted 932 rosewood trees. Another speciality with this small group is that the members have planted multiple trees species like, mango, red sandalwood, teak, vengai, guava, mahogany and rosewood. They are growing 4,295 trees in total.
Be watchful and care you tres during rainy season
Torrential rain fall can lead to standing water in your tree grove drowning the tree roots in a week. As explained in the previous newsletter, trees respire through their roots, through soil and when there is standing water for more than a week that’s bad for the tree groves. Oversaturated soil can suffocate and kill a tree, lead to root rot and the tree struggles to intake nutrition. Excavate a farm pond to capture flooding water, have ridges and furrows, water draining process to divert over water into the farm pond. If you notice a tree leaning that’s a problem, give quick care to the tree, consider creating small berm of soil around the tree. Trees in over saturated groves will show yellow or wilting leaves and die in branch tips. When trees are stressed, they produce chemical that attract harmful bugs that will attack the trees. Wind during rainy season would break some branches, make sure you prune such branches immediately to stop harmful bugs from attacking the trees.
Padavettan Small Group members from Chetpet Cluster are caring the trees by creating small berm of soil around each tree. Another speciality with this small group is that the members have planted multiple trees species like, teak, vengai, rosewood, guava, lemon, mango, gooseberry and red sandalwood. They are growing 2,458 trees in total.