The quarterly newsletter of Trees for the Future Woodcutting of John Chapman courtesy of J.J. Lippincott
Summer 2005 Vol. XIII, No. 2
Reporting from CHINA: The Three Gorges Project (Note: Bedru Sultan, coordinator of our East Africa Program, traveled to China this Spring to the Yangtze River to see the development taking place there. With a guide to translate, he had the opportunity to meet people in rural villages and to see farming systems very different from those in Africa.) As the global energy crisis grows, it would appear China has strengthened its position through the construction of the Three Gorges Project (TGP) by building a massive dam on the Yangtze River, to be completed in 2009. With a storage capacity of 39 billion cubic meters, this is the biggest water conservation project the world has ever seen. It has a generating capacity of 18,200 mega-watts and will replace 40-50 million tons of raw coal annually. It does this by raising the level of the Beachfront property: Raising the Yangtze River reservoir will displace 1.3 Yangtze River above the dam to 175 meters, million people and jeopardize food security. All pictures by Bedru Sultan just higher than the Washington Monument. plant citrus, tea and other "cash crops." The plan enviThis will create a ribbon-shaped lake, averaging a bit sions a real shortage of rice which must then be "alloless than a mile wide and 660 miles long, spreading cated" to the area by the central government. over 20 counties and inundating 60,500 acres of farmIt is with this relocation of the agricultural populaland. It will encourage the development of a fishing tion that the picture really starts to cloud over. The industry and increase barge traffic five times. government is stopping farming on slopes of more It will cover 44 archeological sites and will require than 25 degrees surrounding the reservoir. The sedithe resettlement of 1.3 million people from 2 cities, 11 mentation study taken steadily over the past 30 years county seats and 116 towns. Even in China, 1.3 million has determined that the annual sediment load coming is a lot of people and, because 40% of them are from into the reservoir is 526 million tons. That would be a rural areas, resettlement poses real problems: pile of mud somewhat larger than the Empire State Of the 1.3 million, about 125,000 people must be Building. If it were not "properly treated" - then sent relocated to completely different provinces. Another through the dam and deposited downstream - the use40% of them must find new job opportunities. The ful life of the dam would be greatly reduced. other 60% of the rural families will be learning to continued on page 3 Page 1
Johnny Ipil-Seed News is a quarterly newsletter of TREES FOR THE FUTURE, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people of the world’s poorest communities to begin environmentally beneficial, self-help projects. This newsletter is printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink and is sent to all supporting members to inform them of recent events, plans, financial matters and how their support is helping people. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. John R. Moore, Dr. Peter Falk Mr. Oscar Gruspe Mr. Dave Deppner Mr. Hank Dearden
Project Showcase: Reporting from Ghana Save the Earth Network, a Ghanaian organization in partnership with Trees for the Future, is establishing a nonprofit, non-commercial tree plantation to serve as a regional source of high quality tree seeds. But that isn't the full extent of the work.
Save the Earth Network is showing communities how by integrating multipurpose trees on degraded lands and by directly addressing the countries energy crisis . . .
FOUNDERS Dave and Grace Deppner
Eben Mensah, the coordinator holding the tree in the picture on the right, is PROGRAM MANAGERS very concerned that the deforesting of 6.8 million hectares of land in Ghana John Leary, Program over the past 50 years has caused many Coordinator streams to dry up: a fate that is cripBedru Sultan, East Africa Fritzie Manuel, pling so many other countries in the Asia & Outreach Coordinator world. In addition, Mr Mensah points Chris Wells, Asia Program out that long term tropical hardwood Gabby Mondragon,Philippines plantations are failing because tree Melissa Kolb, Honduras planting endeavors are not first satisfyOmar Ndao, Senegal ing communities' immediate needs. John Coleman, Belize Mahogany and other valuable woods If you wish to receive this are ending up as firewood and charcoal newsletter, or would like more in 20 million kitchens in Ghana daily. "There are however a number of ideas information, please contact: TREES FOR THE FUTURE and strategies we are implementing The Loret Miller Ruppe with local communities that help estabCenter for lish new forest plantations," says Mr Sustainable Development Mensah. "Quick regenerative trees 9000 16th Street, (QRT) such as the K67 Leucaena variP.O. Box 7027 ety is helping extensively in reducing Silver Spring, MD 20907 the problems of environmental degradation, and serve as communities’ Toll Free: 1-800-643-0001 source of fuelwood while protecting Ph: 301-565-0630 stream banks, watersheds, wells and Fax: 1-301-565-5012 streams from drying up in the dry seainfo@treesftf.org WWW.PLANT-TREES.ORG
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son. This Leucaena tree does a great job in building biodiversity in flora and fauna. Eben Mensah, as seen in the pictures, is incorporating a number of other tree species alongside and beneath the Leucaena trees, ultimately having created natural areas that are rich in biodiversity and also serve as sustainable sources of fuelwood, animal forage, and high-quality tree seeds. They are also training communities how to intercrop these trees in agroforestry systems to improve crop production. “Unlike timber species trees like odum, wawa and mahogany, which may start producing seeds after 15 to 20 years, the leucaena is highly regenerative. Leucaena K67 tree variety starts producing viable seeds after one and half years. They can be used for char-
. . . they can relieve stress on local forest resources, allowing hardwoods to grow and forests to regenerate
coal and fire wood when they are just 2 years old. The Leucaena K67 variety can serve as a powerful tool to promote sustainable development as far as environmental preservation and sustainable food production is concerned,” say Mr. Mensah. "The seeds from the mixed Leucaena plantations are distributed free of charge to communities around the country and throughout Africa." Communities are taking these seeds and training in sustainable land use and replicating a successful program.
China from page 1 Suppose, then, that a million people, relocated and living along 1,300 miles of the lake shore, now practicing type of agriculture that is new and different to them, for lack of experience and training, manage to greatly increase the amount of sediment entering the reservoir (as is happening to dams all over the Developing World like the Aswan Dam) and suppose their activities also cause a great increase in landslides (that's already happening). What does this hold for the future of the TGP dam? Mixed farming systems, including citrus orchards like the one Another critical facet of this project is the fate of shown here, must quickly be estabwildlife. Past experience shows that dams create newly lished farther up the mountains. formed islands from the exposed tops of mountains above the flood line. Small and large mammals, insects, reptiles, and other creatures converge on these siltation, provide jobs, create sources of sustainable mountain top islands as water levels rise. One can energy, increase food production, and support wildlife imagine the result when animal and insect density and biodiversity that will soon also be resettled. The Chinese government has been right in outlawing Bedru Sultan in front of the ship agriculture on mountainsides of 25 degrees or more, that took him up the Yangtze River but they should take this one step further - these are the lands that should first be reforested. Without farmers turning the soil, burning fields, plowing crops, and spraying trees, these steeper lands will become the homes of much of the Yangtze River's remaining biodiversity. Trees will provide habitat and food for concentrated ecosystems. Additionally, all the farmlands must begin to incorporate agroforestry technologies. Contour lines of
increases by 50 times over a short period. The result in the Guri Dam in Venezuela was a bunch of islands that resembled Easter Island - completely consumed and degraded. An agricultural country has a great range of opportunities to develop sustainable energy resources. With good planning, these opportunities create attractive livelihood possibilities for the local population. Instead, China has gone on a course that ignores the potential of its own people and poses a serious threat to the environment. So much for central planning. Our recommendation for the TGP is that for the sake of the communities effected, for the sake of food security, and for the sake of the longevity of the dam - start planting trees now. There are still four years left. Never before in the Yangtze River's millions of years has tree planting been more important. Reforestation and agroforestry can protect the watershed, minimize
The calm Yangtze River will soon inundate much of the mountains that cradle it.
trees will go a long way toward stabilizing soils. There will also be plenty of ways to intercrop citrus, tea, vegetables, and other cash crops to diversify production and minimize runoff. The dam is there to stay. Water levels will rise. Now it is time to save the watershed so it will serve people, not impoverish them.
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It’s Been a Busy Spring
Dear Trees for the Future, “I received the package containing the seeds and the printed materials yesterday afternoon. Thank you so much! I wasn't expecting such a comprehensive starting kit. It's like a forest in a bag - just add Water! I wish it were that simple.” Ronnie Serrano Davao City, Philippines
“Our main aim is to expand our forestry project in the Nanumba District and replication in the other parts of Northern Ghana. Please, we are grateful for the support and optimistic that you will continue with the support for other activities and the expansion to help the rural poor and enhance living standards of the people.” Sheikh T. B. Damba Bimbilla, Ghana
“We are very happy to receive from your organization, a pack of seeds, and a video cassette, training book. We will use them as we requested from you. For that, we thank you very much and we hope it's the beginning of a sustainable partnership.” Moussa Boukar Maroua, Cameroon
“We thank you infinitely. We will make a good use of seeds and training materials. We have a project of afforestation of 5 hectares of leucaena associated with the culture of lemon grass and and other useful trees and plants. . . . Please accept, Sir, the expression of our distinguished consideration.” Director of APED Lomé, Togo
“I wish to thank you for sending in training and planting material that I received a week ago. Currently I am offering services to community groups in how to raise seedlings and I have set up a group that am ready to work with on this new program that am about start working on with you.” Yours faithfully Krispine Siame Nakonde, Zambia
“Am delighted, happy and grateful for my package . . . I have already set to plant the seeds. I opened up a very wide nursery and have been upcountry in Katakwi District, in Teso region of Uganda transplanting and planting others of the many species of trees as possible.” Patrik Papa Kampala, Uganda
“The seeds have been distributed to the community to raise nurseries. When the rainy season starts in August, the nurseries will be planted.” Yours lovingly in Christ The Team at Leverage Trust Tamil Nadu, India
When communities in areas where we don’t have local technicians ask for help, we send TREES packages. This spring, the Ruppe Center headquarters mailed tree planting packages to almost 100 new projects in over 20 countries. Packages contained training videos, books, technical materials, posters, and seeds. This will contribute to the planting of an extra half million trees.
“We received the package last week. Some of the communities are seeding this week.” Mandy Ma Strategies for Intern’l Dev. Guatemala
“Thank you very much for books, seeds, newsletter, Leucaena, Moringa, and Grevillea seeds, posters, and the video tape.” Ozem Chapita Kaengesa Environmental Conservation Society Tanzania
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Reporting from Honduras Fifty miles from the border with El Salvador in western Honduras lies San Isidro, Suyapa, Pueblo Viejo, Barrio Barreal, and other participating communities in the Department of Intibuca. These upland communities rely heavily on coffee as a primary source of income. With the help of a local Peace Corps Volunteer, Chris Nytch (who has since finished his service and returned home), Trees for the Future helped plant over 3000 new trees. Through a combination of communal and individual nurseries in six towns, the technical knowledge was dispersed among a wide array of men and women. The current result is 3000 new trees growing around the watershed and schools of San Isidro. Varieties include Madre de cacao, a great cover tree for shade-grown coffee, mountain cedar, Atlantic mahogany, and laurel.
Women in Suyapa town seeding the nursery.
These men in Sarsalaza prepare their own communal nursery, sifting the soil and mixing it with abono organico (organic fertilizer) and cal (lime).
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Introducing: THE CHINESE PRINCESS According to Denny Beeson the world will never have to do without wood, thanks to the Paulownia Tree, which is known around the world as the Princess, Empress, or Royal Paulownia Tree (Paulownia tomentosa). On his farm near Bakersfield, California, Denny studied these trees, made experimental plantings, dried the wood and built the fence around his house from it. He has read every book about them he can get his hands on. Better known as the Paulownia Tree, it grows over a wide range of conditions. It came all the way from East Asia but many grow right here in Silver Spring and along the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. They Tree huggers? No, Denny is just trying to get away from Pam, his sister-inlaw, and this ten-year old Paulownia Tree was handy. were mostly planted about 30 years back. In April they're easy to spot with their large best one, the others are cut away. The seeds are tiny purple flowers. During the summer you can see the one kilo of seeds will plant almost a million trees. very large heart-shaped leaves of the young trees, All trees have drawbacks and Paulownia has several: which sets them apart. the thick canopy discourages under-growth that could Over quite a few years, Denny, his brother Gaylord build the soils. It can't stand high winds (which is why and Gaylord’s wife Pam have worked to find uses for Denny always plants them in twos - to support each them. They learned that, despite their rapid growth, other). Still, when it comes to producing a lot of wood their wood is surprisingly strong. Even though in a hurry, it's hard to beat the Chinese Princess. extremely light, it works easily and wears well even out in the weather. The tree "coppices" easily. Once a tree is cut, several new buds quickly grow from the stump. Keeping the
Fast-Growing Trees: It's easy to count the growth rings of this tree - about an inch wide even in the cool dry climate of California's Central Valley.
Tall, straight timber: all but the top branches are cut away and the trees are planted very close together. The result is valuable timber, easy to saw with few knots.
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Opinion: Plenty of Blame To Go Around One of our members recentWith Jorge Betancourt, the mayors of five towns, a very ly told me that, since we concerned local tourist industry and a great number of planted more trees than equally concerned local citizens, your program is workWangari Maathai, next time ing hard to save that lake. Its 43,000 hectare (106,000 we should get the Nobel acre) watershed hosts almost every kind of environmenPeace Prize. tal atrocity you can imagine: overgrazing, illegal logging, Well, fine, but we better mining copper and gold (using mercury), growing crops send Grace to pick it up for on steep barren hillsides, and "organic pollution" - which us because, truth be known, is a nice way of saying raw sewage - from one nearby I've never been considered town. an especially peaceful man. Upsetting? Yeah, a bit. But we see some progress. Trees In my own defense, I say are being planted. New people, coming up with new that after living for considerable periods of time in 17 ideas, join in every day. So, with Jorge, we keep doing countries over the past 33 years, I believe I've seen plen- our best with the sure conviction that, somehow, we're ty of things to get my dander up about. going to win this one. So I'm still cool. Fact is, when I was teaching at Araneta University there Then we come home. On my desk waits an article from were a lot of days I felt like tying on the red bandanna and The Los Angeles Times about a priest, Fr. Andres taking to the streets with the students to protest Madam Tamayo. in a part of Honduras called the Olancho Valley Marcos's latest displays of greed. But when I gave in to who seems determined to turn his parishioners into an those urges, I learned the hard way the words to that old army to fight against the logging companies who are song: "the only harm I ever did was always to myself." legally, but rapaciously, devastating the uplands of his The opportunities still come around. I was recently town. raked over the coals by two of our members, obviously One of his followers, a farmer named Efrain Paguada, wanting TREES to become an advocacy group, for send- says it best: "I'd rather die all at once than see my chiling people "Global Cooling" certificates thereby, in their dren die slowly of thirst." opinion, absolving SUV owners of their sin of polluting "Hey! Cool it a minute!" I say in my letter to the good our atmosphere and causing global warming. father. There are a lot of things killing those mountains Then there's this trip John and I recently took to assist and, before you get yourself or any of your people killed, the projects in Central America. During a week in $7 a take another look around. Think about all the cows your night hotels, we were told several times that, because of people keep up there. Think about your cows eating all the extreme dry season, there was a staggered shut-off of the pine seedlings every dry season when the grass runs water in these communities. Same story when we went to out - that kills a lot more pine trees than the loggers take. get our laundry: Mary said "wait until tomorrow morning Think about when you burn those mountains to clear the - I'll work on it tonight when they turn the water back way for new grass and how, when the winds change, on". Meanwhile, there was PLENTY of water, free water, those fires spread across the land. for Dole, Chiquita and Del Monte to irrigate their Shooting at loggers isn't going to get your children any bananas and pineapples. Now I started to get a little water. Putting trees back on those mountains will. You steamed. want some help, tell us. We'll be there. Two years and We spent most of the following week around Lake Yojoa those upland springs will be running again. In just one - the only true fresh water lake in Honduras and also, year, your crops and pastures will be producing a lot unfortunately for the lake, the source of water for much more. of the country's electricity (which is also being shut down Blaming SUV drivers isn't going to stop global climate on a rotating basis). change. Shooting at loggers won’t restore the mountains In 25+ years, the level of the lake is down 12 meters (40 of Central America. Cursing the the cows isn’t going to feet). It used to come right up to the road. Now it's a five protect Honduras, Haiti, or Ethiopia from mudslides. We minute walk away. The bottom is covered with another 2 advocate less blaming and more doing. Don't get mad meters of silt. Nobody wants to think too long about get trees! what's in that silt. The lake is well stocked with black bass and there are restaurants along the shore - but nobody's ordering fish dinner. Page 7
Inside This Issue p. 1 CHINA: The Three Gorges Project p. 2 Reporting from Ghana: STEN p. 4 Extra 500,000 Trees This Spring p. 5 Reporting from Honduras p. 6 The Chinese Empress p. 7 Opinion - Plenty of Blame p. 8 New Business Partnerships
New Bumpersticker
New Partnering Businesses Buy a Book, We’ll Plant a Tree Alexander Book Co. in downtown San Francisco is concerned about the amount of trees felled to make books, and so it is planting a tree for every customer. Their goal is 35,000 trees. www.alexanderbook.com
Raising a Reader, Growing a Forest Broad Street Books of Ghent, in Norfolk, VA, is planting a tree in Belize for every book read. Children’s names are posted on a tree in the stores’ reading room and their names are announced on Radio Disney. www.broadstreetbooks.com
Call us 1-800-643-0001 to get yours today Free for all members Community Printers, Inc. is a worker-managed, union print shop in Santa Cruz, CA specializing in environmentally friendly printing. They are planting enough trees to offset the amount of paper they consume. www.comprinters.com
Loret Miller Ruppe Center P.O. Box 7027 Silver Spring, Maryland 20907
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Alexander Book Co.
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