Project unites the generations
Creating a legacy through planting a 4000-strong forest of native trees has brought two generations together.
A collective of north Taranaki-based Rotary clubs has joined forces with Taranaki schoolchildren to plant native seedlings near the banks of the Waiwhakaiho river, bordering land set aside for the Mangapouri Cemetery.
It will be the region’s Forest of Peace and Remembrance, and is part of a nationwide Rotary mission to plant 100,000 native seedlings to mark its 100th anniversary.
About 12 schools have been part of the project, which has clocked up about 1000 hours ahead of the final planting day on September 11.
Project co-ordinator Des Friedrich said 467 seedlings will be packed into the soil that day. All those who have supported the scheme will be brought together to celebrate the achievement.
Included in the plant selection covering the site, which is reserve land, is Kōwhai, Karamū and Koromiko.
All the seedlings have been ecosourced, with the purchase funded by a Government grant.
On planting days, a dozen or so children come in shifts and are tasked with finding a new home for two seedlings before they are given a sausage in bread, smothered with tomato sauce, as a reward.
It’s a simple formula, but one Friedrich said had been ‘‘really rewarding’’.
He said it was a way the older generation could work alongside their younger counterparts to create a forest that would not come to maturity for 40 years.
While some club members, who hail from New Plymouth, Waitara and Inglewood, might not be around to see the fruits of their labour, Friedrich said it was always something the 1200 schoolchildren could take pride in when they reach adulthood.
Once the planting was finished, the Rotary clubs would be responsible for the care of the plants for the next five years.