How to plant and care for tropical trees

A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization published in 2005 shows that we are cutting down trees in the tropics faster than we are planting them. An estimated 13 million hectares of forests are cut down every year. South America loses the most trees (some 4.3million hectares) while about 4 million hectares of forests are cut down in Africa each year.

‘Planting and Establishment of Tropical Trees’, a new publication by the Commonwealth Secretariat, brings that truth even more closer to home by highlighting the potential benefits of trees and how we need to start planting more than we are currently cutting down if we are to continue enjoying the many benefits that we derive from them. These include, among others, food, fuel, wood, fodder for animals, and medicines.

This fifth and final volume in the series ‘Tropical Trees: Propagation and Planting Manuals’ contains practical advice on how to plant the most appropriate trees for a particular location and the conditions required for their growth. The manual shows how to identify the best young trees for planting and transporting them safely to the planting site. It also specifies the best planting methods, and how to ensure that newly planted trees reach maturity, by protecting them from damage from weeds, insects, the weather, and from animals or from disease.

Unlike some manuals, ‘Tropical Trees: Propagation and Planting Manuals’ do not use overly technical language and are extensively illustrated with practical drawings, which is bound to appeal to the non-specialist reader.