Zimbabwe: Plant New Trees, Minister Urges Councils

Source from:  The Herald (Harare) 4 January 2008 01/07/2008

A Cabinet minister has urged urban councils to take advantage of the rains to plant new trees along the streets in place of old ones that have been killing people when they fall. Environment and Tourism Minister Cde Francis Nhema said that many old trees were likely to fall due to incessant rain that was loosening the ground. "The councils should replace most trees as they are old," he said. An old tree killed two women in Harare recently when it fell on their car along Borrowdale Road. The trees that were falling from loose soil and due to old age maimed and killed people and damaged property in the capital. Cde Nhema said urban areas could remain without trees unless local authorities took measures to replace old ones. He said new trees enhanced the beauty of the urban environments and reduced air pollution. Most jacaranda trees lining streets in urban centres were planted more than 50 years ago. Cde Nhema said farmers should take advantage of the rain to plant fast growing eucalyptus trees to use as firewood and for curing tobacco. "Tobacco farmers will be curing their crop in the next three months. "They should plant more trees to replace the ones that they are going to cut down." He said farmers should also plant indigenous trees to use for medicinal purposes. Enditem