Fall 2009 - A
2008-2009 YEAR IN REVIEW: ‘Seeds of Hope, Trees for Tomorrow’ Community Tree Planting Campaign Ibsar completed its planting season in early March of this year with over 9,000 native trees, grown from seeds collected from the wild from nearly 20 species, and delivered to over 30 municipalities throughout Lebanon. The majority of the villages were successful in planting trees, but others decided to transplant them into larger containers for planting in this season. Due to the nature of Lebanese natives, trees and shrubs in this semi-arid region naturally grow very slow and take time to mature, adaptive traits that have allowed for their survival in the long, hot and dry climate (patience is virtue). We faced a number of challenges in our 1st season, ranging from: the lack of germination of certain species at our nursery (AREC), the rejection of trees at the last minute by our municipal partners, to improper planting of trees, and finally, the lack of watering and care by the municipalities. Subsequently, the first year’s experience has helped us to understand more clearly the sorts of challenges we will likely face in our program and has prepared us to deal with future plantings and caretaking of the trees. There are, however, a few exceptional examples of successful tree planting projects and their care; Ain Zebde (Beqaa Valley) is amongst the most successful projects worth mentioning with the planting of 200 trees and installation of an irrigation system that resulted in over 95% of their survival. Great job, Ain Zebde!
NURSERY & PLANTING NEWS Last season our nursery team at AREC, managed Ibsar’s field coordinator, Mr. Khaled Slim, successfully propagated 18 species of Lebanese native trees and shrubs (see table to the right). This year’s production will add 3 additional species to the list; Taurus Maple (Acer hyrcanum Fischer & C.A. Meyer), Oriental Alder (Alnus orientalis Decne.), and the majestic Oriental Plane Tree (Platanus orientalis). An additional member to the AREC nursery team is Mr. Bassam Hamzeh who is currently studying agricultural engineering at AUB. Bassam has accumulated an enormous degree of knowledge regarding Lebanon’s diverse floristic species and has been instrumental in our efforts in propagating the 30 + species at our greenhouse.
Latin names Abies cilicica Amegdalus communis Alnus orientalis Amegdalus orientalus Cedrus libani Ceretonia siliqua Cercis silisquastrum Laurus nobilis Malus trilobata Myrtus communis Pinus brutia Pinus halepensis Pinus pinea Pistacia lentiscus Platanus orientalis Pyrus syriaca Quercus cerris Quercus coccifera Quercus infectoria Sorbus torminalus
English names Cilician fir Sweet almond Alder tree Oriental almond Lebanese cedar Carob tree Judas or redbud tree Laurel or bay tree Crabapple Myrtle Calabria pine Aleppo pine Stone Pine Mastic tree Plane tree Syrian Pear Turkey oak Kermes oak Cyprus or Aleppo oak Wild service tree
Arabic names
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Ms. Sakra Abou Aid has been working at AREC for the past 3 years since the program’s inception. Her hard work yearround was essential for the production of over 10,000 trees last season and virtually 15,000 this year. Thanks Sakra for your hard work, dedication and demonstration of the Power of Planting!