POWER OF PLANTING INITIATIVE NEWSLETTER Fall 2008 Vol. 1, No.2
NURSERY & PLANTING NEWS With your support, our native forest tree nursery located at the AUB Agricultural Research and Education Center (AREC) has been a great success. We have produced 14,500 trees from more than 20 species of native trees from seeds individually collected from Lebanese forest. Through our experience, we have developed techniques for seed storage and processing for difficult tree species in order to ensure proper and high percentage of seed growth. This research has been of vital importance to the success of our current campaign and it will help the entire forest tree nursery sector in Lebanon as we have begun and will continue to provide people with the new information we have gained. We have already established partnerships with eleven municipalities in Akkar and thirteen municipalities in the Chouf area for upcoming planting events.
CAMPAIGN EVENTS NEWS Celebrating Earth Day with Students (April 20th, 2008) On Earth Day, we conducted an awareness program for the American Community School (ACS) student in Beirut. Fifteen ACS students were taken on an educational field trip to the native tree nursery, greenhouse, lath house and composting station at AREC where they learned about the ‘Seeds of Hope, Trees for Tomorrow’ campaign, importance of composting for soil production and the use of greenhouses in the propagation and cultivation of native medicinal and economically useful plants. In addition, the students had the opportunity to try some nursery techniques themselves including preparing containers with soil and planting seeds within those containers. This event was made possible by the generous support of The Arab Reinsurance Company who made a substantial donation that also helped in the planting of 3,000 trees.
Local Youth Engagement in Akkar (August 30th, 2008) IBSAR’s belief that children are tomorrow’s hope led to the creation of a variety of community awareness programs that are youth oriented. The center organized a full day event in Bazbina-Akkar to promote biodiversity in the frame of the ‘Seeds of Hope, Trees for Tomorrow’ campaign. Twenty-eight kids from the region, aged 9-13, participated in the event. The program, through educational and entertaining games & activities, helped promote environmental awareness that can further be shared with family and friends. This event was made possible by the British Embassy who funded this event in addition to the planting of 72 trees.