The AMP Tree Party organized by Wild Asia, AMP Radio Networks and Friends of Kota Damansara (FOKD) has reached its 100th day mark! Wild Asia deployed a team of researchers to scout the forest to bring you the findings of how well the trees are thriving...insofar.

Written by Wild Asia on 16 Oct 2009 with 1 comment. Contribute!

We have just recently reached our 100th day mark of the AMP Tree Party at Kota Damansara Community Forest (KDCF), a joint effort by Wild Asia, AMP Radio Networks and Friends of Kota Damansara (FOKD).

Held on 21 June, 2009 in conjunction with World Environment Day, the tree planting event was a public message to encourage the use of our urban natural areas as a functioning green lung and to protect it from further developments. The event also acted as a gauge to measure the kind of impact(s) an event of such would have on the environment. As such, all waste generated from the event were weighed and calculated to give a visual figure on the burgeoning waste issue that is often ignored.

A total of 310 indigenous trees were pledged to Wild Asia's Plant-A-Tree (PAT) programme and planted on that festive day by corporate sponsors such as Mary Kay, Johnson and Johnson, Kulim (M) Berhad and AMP Radio Networks, as well as individual donors accompanied by radio announcers from ERA, MY FM, hitz.fm, MIX fm, LiteFM, SINAR, XFM and THR Raaga. The selected 5 species of indigenous trees were sourced from Perniagaan Tunas Harapan (PTH) and the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia.

On 24 September, 2009 at 10-11am, Wild Asia's researchers explored KDCF to find out how the trees were doing. Out of 310 trees, 308 trees survived bringing the survival rate to 99%. We are happy that the trees are thriving. The factors that may have played a role in the mortality of these two trees include lack of nutrients due to soil condition (considering the extreme and unpredictable temperature), lack of water and infection among other possibilities. Observations on the field also noted that the soil is incredibly dry as the area was previously a concrete dumpsite (concrete rubbles and pebbled soil from developments were disposed at an open area by the fringe of the forest). The area is prone to weeds sprouting and this can be quite detrimental to the health of the trees as weeds can choke the trees from nutrients and water. This is the reason why trees need to be monitored closely especially in the early stages of growth (1 - 3 years after planting).

Planting 310 trees to rehabilitate an area may not seem much compared to losing an area of our forests as big as a football field every SECOND. However, tree planting events should not be seen as lose-lose situation, but as a platform to raise awareness on the issues our forests are facing. Foo Chuen Yong from FOKD piped, "(AMP Tree Party) created a lot of awareness, that we have such a treasure in such close proximity. The presence of the corporate sector was also proof of corporate social responsibility in action."

Despite the dry condition of the soil, a majority of the trees planted are growing steadily. In the future, these trees will promote biodiversity by attracting wildlife such as birds and bees, and convert the open area into a shaded green lung. The event successfully brought awareness and attention to the need of more green spaces among communities. For Sham, a radio announcer from Mix FM, "the tree party has reminded me of the human ignorance towards the environment's cry for help. My family and I who are influenced by my dad have been contributing to the call of tree planting even before the tree party."

Malaysia is blessed with a myriad of indigenous tree species and residential wildlife. We also boast the fastest growing tree, Albizzia falcata in Sabah and endemic wildlife like the Malayan Shrew, Malayan Roundleaf Bat and the Small Spiny Rat. But we are slowly losing them to irresponsible logging. Awareness is futile if no action is taken. Tree planting events such as the Tree Party shows how we as individuals can make a difference to ensure that our planet is not robbed of its greens, and that our wildlife still has a home in the future.

reza

Wild Asia Staff 05-Jun-2004 Posts: 20

Saturday, 17 October 2009 at 8:42 AM:

Nice summary for the year. what is not easy to grasp is that having a 99% survival rate is remarkable. Will be good to see how our other sites compare. I must say we have learnt from our planter friends who have helped us improve how we plant. It's more than simply digging a hole and plinking your seedling.

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