On Wednesday and Thursday our Years 7 and 8 students potted up approximately 800 native tree seedlings under the guidance of Gail, the Trees for Survival field officer. They are now housed in the two shadehouses and we will be keeping a close eye on them to ensure they thrive and are ready to plant out next year.
This has been an exciting project for our students. It started in March when students sold spring bulbs to raise money to cover the start up costs of buying the shadehouses. There is an irrigation system that waters the seedlings daily to ensure they survive and thrive.
Trees for Survival (TfS) is a hands-on environmental education programme. Students grow and nurture native seedlings to sapling stage and then take an annual field trip to plant the trees. Through the programme, students help landowners to revegetate erosion prone land, improve stream flow and water quality, increase native biodiversity and offset carbon emissions. Each year TfS plants 70,000+ trees throughout New Zealand with the assistance of over 5,000 school students.
What our students said:
Aria – I learned how much trees matter to New Zealand and other countries. The lady said we need to keep planting trees to keep things going.
Emily – Really satisfying when putting dirt in to the bags that you are bringing trees and life into the world.
Harry – Cool to know we were planting a forest, and the fact that in 10 years time there will be tall trees.
Tyler – An amazing opportunity and shows that everyone can make a difference.
Caitlin – Interesting to learn how to plant seedlings.
Nathan – Cool knowing every seedling you planted will go to making a better environment for the world.
