What is TfS? The Trees for Survival programme is run by the TfS Charitable Trust and is a hands-on environmental education experience promoting growing and planting of native trees and shrubs to:
help control soil erosion
safeguard water quality
provide new habitats for native birds as well as other plants and animals
beautify our environment
remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
renew a natural resource
The TFS programme is designed to involve children who learn about trees and their place in our environment. These plantings provide ‘at risk’ land with plant cover, restores eroded land to improve stream and water quality as well as providing habitats for the spread of our native flora and fauna. The programme also creates community partnerships by engaging not only schools and landowners but service clubs, regional and local councils, business sponsors and volunteers who all work together to protect our environmental heritage.
Some Background. The TfS programme was started in 1991 by the Rotary Club of Pakuranga and was based on a similar concept that was operating in Australia at the time.
Since its early beginnings, the programme has grown to have a nationwide coverage with 155 Trees for Survival Schools planting over 60,000 trees per year. Of these, 66 are based in the Auckland region where 37,600 trees were planted in 2009.
Currently Trees for Survival is involved in a planned expansion of the programme within the Greater Wellington, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, Gisborne and Manawatu/Wanganui regions.
How does Trees for Survival (TfS) work? Once the School accepts responsibility for managing the plant growing unit (PGU) implementing the Trees for Survival programme can begin.
Students care for and grow seedlings for about 12 months until they reach a plantable size. A 6m plant growing unit can produce up to 1,500 plants a year.
Supplies such as seedlings and potting mix are arranged and support personnel from local councils and Trees for Survival are provided to assist where additional expertise is required.
Suitable sites for planting are identified by councils and the partners in the programme, including parents, Supporting Organisations and landowners help the students to plant trees on the planting day.
Trees for Survival provides guidelines and resources to enable teachers to maximize the teaching and learning opportunities resulting from growing and planting trees.
What is a PGU? A PGU is a specially designed unit and can house up to 1500 seedlings. It has curtains to protect the seedlings from the elements and includes an irrigation system and an automatic timer to make watering easy and efficient.
For best results the unit should be placed on a level surface that won’t get boggy in winter and has plenty of sun and water available. The 6m PGU is 1.5m wide x 1.8m high but extra space around the unit to allow room to work and an area where fully grown plants can be put to ‘harden off’ before being planted out is recommended. If security is an issue it is sometimes necessary to fence this area and a lockable place provided for the water timer.
The cost of a Plant Growing Unit includes wire baskets, root trainers, milk crates, and a water timer. PGUs are avaiable as a 6 m unit ($3154+GST), 4 m ($2272+GST) and 2 m ($1420+GST).
Involvement with TfS gives you the advantages of being part of a National body, access to the TfS teacher’s resource kit, regular newsletters, and ongoing contact with Trees for Survival Management and other TfS schools.
