5 New Forests in Cape Town

By Jessie Taylor

Hundreds of trees are the newest green spaces in Cape Town, as part of a project to create five newly planted SUGi pocket urban pocket forests.

These forests provide community spaces and learning opportunities and have many benefits for those living around them – from improving mental health to improving air quality and cooling temperatures. They are also key aids in capturing CO 2 and decreasing the impact of climate change. SUGi Pocket Forests is a non-profit organisation that fosters biodiversity-building, ecosystem restoration, and reestablishing natural connections in communities. SUGi has resulted in 200 forests being planted in 42 cities around the world.

SUGi works with forest-makers like Aghmad Gamieldien, the founder of Mzanzi Organics, to deliver these pocket forests across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and South America using the Japanese Miyawaki afforestation technique, planting ultra-dense, biodiverse forests of native and indigenous species. This technique cultivates fast-growing groves of native plants, with the dense, mixed planting intended to simulate the layers of a natural forest.

The new forests have been planted by Mzanzi Organics and local primary schools in Langa, Mitchells Plain, Bo-Kaap, Pinelands and Philippi. More than two years ago, the first urban pocket forest in Cape Town was piloted in Philippi on the KT Grows organic farm. A second forest followed it, the Khoi First Nations Forest, at the Oude Molen Eco Village in Pinelands. It comprises 600 trees and is on its way to being self-sustainable.

Aghmad explains that a forest only requires mulch and water in the first two years, along with some weeding. Thereafter, the forest takes care of itself as a natural forest. The Cape Flats forest was planted in partnership with the Seed Abundance community at Rocklands Primary in Mitchells Plain. It comprises 1 200 indigenous trees and shrubs and an outdoor classroom teaching space. The fourth forest, the Schotche Kloof Forest, was planted at Schotche Kloof Primary School in Bo-Kaap. This is one of the smaller forests, with 100 trees.

The most recent forest was created in Langa, with 800 trees planted. The site has since been named the Langalibalele Forest. The forest has been used for community engagements as an outdoor classroom for a school. Local musicians also use the space to make music with the learners. The project relies on community support and ongoing ownership of and involvement in the forests. The schools involved have an agreement the trees will not be cut down for at least of 20 years. Before making the pocket forests, Aghmad spent time in Cape Town’s indigenous forests, studying them to ensure the pocket forests are indigenous and resilient.

He said that SUGi pocket forests are 30 times denser and 100 times more biodiverse than monoculture plantations, and the trees grew 10 times faster. This means that in five years, the forest would look like it had always been there.

Cape Town's Idigenous Forests

Cape Town already has small areas of indigenous forest situated in fireprotected kloofs. Some of the city's forests, such as Orange Kloof, have expanded into historical fynbos areas because of fire suppression. Unlike fynbos, Cape Town's forests are not adapted to fire, so they mainly exist in gorges, ravines, and other areas that fire can't easily reach.

Cape Town's indigenous forests are afro-temperate, meaning they comprise a complex community of canopy, sub-canopy and understorey trees, vines and herbaceous ground covers. Forests are essential in preventing soil erosion, removing carbon dioxide from the air, and providing a home to various animals, birds and insects.

Indigenous forests exist at Skeleton Gorge, Newlands Ravine, Echo Valley, Spes Bona Valley, and Orange Kloof, all of which are part of the Table Mountain National Park.

Indigenous forests differ from plantations because they are diverse ecosystems with a complex vegetation structure.

Plantations are made up of alien plants, such as pine and gum trees, planted to produce timber. Commercial pine plantations were introduced in the early 1900s and planted on Table Mountain's slopes. Many of these have recently been harvested and will not be replanted. Instead, threatened indigenous fynbos vegetation will be restored to these areas.

The Miyawaki Forest Planting Method

This method was developed in Japan by the botanist and ecologist Akira Miyawaki in the 1970s after he noticed how rapidly industrialisation was taking place in Japan after World War 2. He developed a method to restore forests and habitats for wildlife that were disappearing at a rapid rate.

This method draws inspiration from nature’s ecosystems to create 100% organic, dense and diverse pioneer forests in as little as 20 to 30 years. They forests are quick to establish, maintenance-free after the first two-to-three years, and can be created on sites as small as three square metres.

The Miyawaki method mimics the way a forest would recolonise itself if humans stepped away. Only native species that would occur naturally in that area without humans, given the specific climate condition, are planted.

Source: Daily Maverick | Cape Town ETC | City of Cape Town | SUGi Project