tree talk, april 2010

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Once water infiltrates the soil, it movesdownwards through "percolation".Percolation happens because of gravity,the force which pulls all things from

high places to lower ones. Gravity is whywater always flows from a high place,like a mountain ridge, to a lower placelike a valley.

Groundwater also moves through thesoil. Some water ends up in streams,

while some joins underground waterbodies called aquifers. Water fromaquifers feeds your bore hole.

We all live in a watershed.A watershed is simplyland and the water that runsthrough it, ending up in a riveror lake.

Trees are an extremelyimportant part of watersheds.Without trees, water will flowtoo quickly and not have timeto slowly enter the ground andfill your groundwater. Streamswill run dry and water bodieswill become dirty. So let uslearn more about watersheds!

When rain comes, some falls intostreams and flows away. Some rainfalls on hard surfaces, such as rockor tarmac, and washes into rivers as"run-off". Some rain falls on the soiland enters or infiltrates it and becomes"groundwater".

Keep trees on your watershedVol . 9

No .2 Ap

ril 2010

Started in 2002, TreeTalkis a nationalnewspaper and tree-growing drive. With thisTree Talk, your schoolwill receive seed forAlbizia or Terminalia.Set up a school treenursery in 2010 and"green" your school.

Even if you stay far from a river or lakeyou still live in a watershed because thrain that falls on your home will find its

way to some stream, lake, swamp oraquifer. Try this: take an open umbrellaand turn it upside down in the rain.

All the rain that hits the umbrella willgather at the bottom in the center ofthe umbrella. An umbrella is like a

watershed, collecting all the water thatfalls into it and bringing it to one place

A watershed has three key

functions:

1. receive water from theatmosphere (rain);

2. store water in the ground so thawe can get it from wells and borholes;

3. move water through the soil untit reaches a river or lake.

Healthy watersheds bringus clean water for drinking,cooking and bathing.A healthy watershed iscreated by trees. Protecttrees and grow new ones.

Jobs for foresters. Tree Talk's

Immaculate Chelangat holds adiploma from Nyabyeya ForestryCollege in Masindi.

Right: a pupil withLusambya seed in TreeTalk's Moyo nursery.

This tree in Semlikiholds tonnes ofcarbon. Its rootsallow water topercolate deep intothe soil and flowto your borehole!Report illegal treecutting to NationalForestry AuthorityPRO Moses Watasaon 077-2-976398.Protect yourwatershed.

These hills in Bundibugyo need more trees toremain stable, avoid landslides and keep thewatershed full of clean and plentiful water forpeople and animals. Photo: K Tadie.

Healthy wetlands fullof fish and water.

Good income fromsale of seedlings:

UGX 500-700 for anindigenous seedling,UGX 450-550 for apine seedling. Right:a Tree Talkwomen'sgroup in Adjumani.

Soil has pores thatallow it to absorbwater. Soil that cannothold anymore water is

"saturated".

Trees bring fast results

Money from tree seed. This young girlin Moyo made UGX 100,000 from selling20 kg of mahogany seed to Tree Talk.


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Tree Talk, April 20102

Uganda and the Nile watershed

Awatershed can be any shapeor size, very big or very small.Large watersheds are made up

of many smaller watersheds.

The Nile is an extremely largewatershed that includes the countriesof Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda,Tanzania, Kenya, the DemocraticRepublic of Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea,Sudan and Egypt. In Uganda, over231,366 square kilometres belong tothe Nile River basin that meansalmost all land in Uganda contributeswater to the Nile!

In Uganda there are four majorwater catchment areas: Lake Victoria in

the south; Lake Albert in the west;Lake Kyoga in the centre; and theUpper Nile in the north. But they are allconnected: Lake Victoria in the south islinked to Lake Kyoga in the centre. The

Albert Nile connects Lake Kyoga to LakeAlbert in the west, which is also fed bywater from the Semuliki River. LakeAlbert continues to the Upper Nile innorthern Uganda, then on to Sudan andEgypt.

Watersheds are affected by activities faraway. In Adjumani, fish have become fewbecause there is less water in the Nile.Destruction of forests and swamps in

western Uganda - 600 kilometres away! -has reduced the water flowing to thesmall streams that feed the Nile.

NEW WORDS

Replanting a degraded watershed in GuluP

ece watershed, near Gulu Town,is a much smaller watershed thanthe Nile River watershed, but

it brings water for tens of thousandsof people living in Gulu and Oyamdistricts.

Water from Pece flows into the TociRiver, which then flows to the Nile. Tociis a tributary of the Nile, which means

that it is a smaller river that flowsinto the Nile. Big rivers can have manytributaries.

But now the people of Pece watershedare suffering. Ojera Julius, of Abole vil-lage, said they used to get water from

Abole stream, a tributary of Pece. "Forthe first time our well is dry. We nowhave to walk long distances to anotherborehole. The environment had becometoo bare of trees. The climate is affect-ing the water level."

Lakwat-Omer village, neighbouringAbole, is also part of the Pece water-shed and shares its water problems.Residents of Lakwat-Omer and Abole

formed a community association to im-prove the health of their watershed. Thegroup is called Ribeber, which meansunity is good."

Tree Talk teamed up with Ribeber in2009 to plant 3,500 seedlings of ma-hogany and albizia.

Amunau Simon Peter, Tree Talk Co-ordinator, says: "As trees grow, theyincrease water retention and revitaliseboreholes. With fully grown trees, youcan be sure of better water availabil-ity. But where land is bare, water runs

Aquifer: underground water supplyaccessed by wells and boreholes.

Erosion: when the earths surface isworn away by water and wind

Tributary: a river that flows into alarger river

Infiltration: when water on thesurface enters the soil

Porous: a porous material is full of tinspaces, allowing liquids or gasses topass through

Run-off:rain which flows over theearths surface into a river, stream or

lake

Impermeable: a material that isimpermeable does not allow water topass through.

Uganda's 4 watercatchments

Watersheds and forestscontribute 40% of therains received in Uganda.This wetland in Pece ishealthy. Planting trees can

increase water supply.

The shading shows all the land

being replanted by Tree Talk

and Ribeber. In 2010, Tree

Talk will help plant another12,000 seedlings and train

the community members in

maintaining their own tree

nurseries.

Edea Lucy, Tree Talk Data Officer,handing over mahogany and albiziaseedlings to Ribeber.

The Nile River basin

How healthy is your watershed? Look at a river near your homeWater: Is it clean or full of rubbish?A shine of many colours mayindicate that oil has pollutedthe water. Is it clear, or full ofweeds and tiny green and brownplants called algae? Algae is anindication of fertilizers in the water.

River banks: Bare spots along thebanks may mean that there is too

much soil in the river and it is beingleft behind. Very steep banks are anindication of erosion. Trees along theriver banks help to reduce erosion:do not farm here.

Availability of water: Rivers lookdifferent in the dry and rainy seasons.However, healthy watersheds shouldhelp keep rivers flowing for longer,

even during times of no rain.

Shade: Trees near the river provideshade and a good environment forfish.

Wildlife: Animals also like healthyrivers. If there are no fish, frogs, birdor insects near the water, somethingmay be wrong.

away to streams andflows away quickly.In the replanted ar-eas of Pece, we maysee higher water lev-els within 10 years.But other areas alsoneed to act to seereal change."


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Xavier Mugumya, ForestManagement Specialist atthe National ForestAuthority (NFA) andan internationalclimate changenegotiator, says:

"At Copenhagen,countries did notconclude discussionon all the important items.But there is good will andrecognition that forestscontribute to regulating climatechange. People need incentivesto stop cutting trees.

An example of anunhealthy, unstable andvery dangerous watershedwas in Bududa District. On2 March 2010, a landslideburied three villages on theslopes of Mt Elgon. At least90 people were killed in thelandslide and over 300 arestill missing. As many as 1million people may have toleave the area in case morelandslides occur.

Bududa is heavily

populated: as many as1,059 people are livingin 1 square kilometre ofland, whereas the nationalaverage is 161 people persquare kilometre.

Too many people areinhabiting an area wherethere used to be lots oftrees to hold the soil andprevent erosion. Manypeople are farming onsteep slopes.

Trees help regulate theweather, or climate, but fewtrees cannot do the work thatso many forests used to do.

In December 2009, manyscientists and governmentleaders met in Copenhagen,Denmark, to discuss howto prevent further climatechange.

This meeting was called theUnited Nations FrameworkConvention on Climate Change(UNFCCC). Uganda sent ateam of 60 representatives toCopenhagen..

Damaged watersheds mean people sufferThe most important way toprotect your watershed isto protect existing trees andplant new ones.

Twenty years ago, 30% of land inUganda had forests. Today, it isless than 10%.

Watersheds that lack trees causeproblems for people. In hilly areas,there can be landslides; in low-lying areas, there is the danger offlooding.

Without trees to replenish rivers,women and children walk longdistances to fetch water. Droughtleads to crop failure and unhealthylivestock.

How do trees help? Every part of atree supports a healthy watershed.Roots hold water, keeping toomuch rain from reaching theriver at once, which can lead to

Tree-cutting causes landslides

flooding. In the dry season, rootsslowly release the water they areholding, adding water to rivers anpreventing drought.Sometimesstrong waters from run-off carryaway fertile soil. Where soil has

washed away, we say the land iseroded. Tree roots hold soil andnutrients.

Serious erosion has changed thecourse of the Semuliki River, on thborder of Uganda and D.R. CongoDue to over-cultivation, thereare no trees to hold the soil. Theriver banks have shifted: it is nowdifficult to tell where the border i

Tree leaves also hold water. If youenter a forest after a rain, you

will hear water dripping for manyhours afterwards. Leaves catchrain and then release it so that itenters the soil slowly. Mahoganytrees have big leaves for catching

water and improving watershedhealth.

A boy stands where his home once was. It wasswept away by the terrible landslide in Budada,near Mbale. Trees stabilise mountains so that soildoes not fall down into the valley with heavy rains.

After the Bududa landslide, 5000people were moved into temporarycamps.They wait in long lines for food.

Swamps in southern Sudanand forests in D.R. Congohelp the rain-makingprocess in Uganda.

What is a landslide?Moses Mapesa,Executive Director ofthe Uganda WildlifeAuthority (UWA)writes:

Can we avoid similardisasters in future andelsewhere? Yes...TheUWA have just recentlyconcluded agreements withthe Bududa local governmentand the community to re-plant

with trees all the degraded and

encroached areas in theMt. Elgon National Parkand the neighbouringareas...This arrangement allowsthe communities to planttrees that they benefitfrom in form of carboncredits and also to growcrops like cabbages,

onions, passion fruitsunderneath the trees...

This, however, will taketime; trees require a

minimum of 10 yearsto have a proper gripof the soils. Therefore,prone areas must beavoided and evacuatedin these times of heavyrains."

Carbon credits arepayments to people

who grow trees. Thepayment is for thecarbon the growing treeabsorbs. Carbon gasescause global warming.

A landslide is when soil and rockmove down a slope, pulled by gravity.Landslides can be caused by earthquakes,flooding, or human activities likedeforestation or construction.

The Bududa landslide occurred partlybecause of heavy rains. Water entered thepores in the soil, making the slope heavyand unstable. Clearing of forests left thesoil bare, without tree roots to hold it.

Trees stabilise hills and slow down climate change

Natural forests are the bestat catching and holdingwater and attracting rain.

There is a motion inplace for Uganda to

receive funds tosupport pocketsof preservednatural forests.

Communitiesshould preparethemselves bystarting nowto protect their

remaining naturalforests.


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Radio listeners in thenorth know the voice ofKaka Simon! He tookpart in a Tree Talk

workshop and has notstopped talking abouttrees!

He says, "I havepersonally witnessedcatchment areas drying off. We used to

have hippopotamus in the PagireRiver but now you move on footanywhere and you cant evenstep on water. We as mediacan be fundamental in bringingenvironmental change. I startedspreading messages on my radioprograms. Now the communityalways asks questions and sharesstories."Tune in to Kakas program on92.4 Luo FM.

Protect your trees1. Create a fire line around yourwoodlot: Remove bushes to make a barspace 5m wide all the way around to stofire from entering.

2. Build a fire break: Clear a line 3mwide down the middle of your woodlot.Remove all bushes and brush. If a firestarts in the woodlot, the fire break will

prevent it from spreading.

3. Remove all dead brushand leaves from yourwoodlot.

There are only small, short-

term gains from bush burninDoes it make sense to burn

trees while chasing one edible rat worthUGX 10,000 when two acres of pineat three years of age are worth UGX 5million?

Bush fires can occur naturally, buthumans also start fires for hunting,clearing land or out of recklessness.Bush fires can get out ofcontrol, burning homes andkilling people. They destroytrees and damage soil fertilityby removing moisture andkilling small, useful organismsthat break down nutrients.

Francis Oja, District ForestryOfficer in Adjumani, says: We are talkingto communities about these dangers.Under a new ordinance, people who burn

will be fined, made to do communityservice work, or imprisoned.

Defend your trees from bush fires

Tree Talk is a project of Straight Talk FoundationPlot 4 Acacia Avenue, KololoPO Box 22366, Kampala. Tel. 0312-262030/1.

This issue was funded by DANIDA, with a contribution from the WILD project,supported by USAID and led by Wildlife Conservation Society.Editor: K Manchester; Contributors: G Kiyingi, C Watson, P Nyeko ; Design: AD Bulamu;Reviewers: G Kiyingi, SP Amunau

Angela Anyua is amember of WatemuLapainat Agrofor-estry Association, agroup of 38 women

who grow trees inthe Pece watershed

in Gulu. Angela sold100 trees as poles,earning UGX 800,000 to pay for herdaughters fees at Gulu University.

After training fromTree Talk, AdjumaniGovernment Prison planted12,520 trees and areaiming for 1 million! Says

ASP Ebong Patrick: Anyenvironment with trees isconducive to human beings.Soon every prison will takeup tree planting. We need to reforest

Tree Talk raising seedlings for schools

With this Tree Talk,schools in the watercatchment areas of

Albert and Kyogaget seed forAlbiziachinensis. It is good fortimber, shade, erosioncontrol and stabilisingslopes.

Schools in the watercatchment areas of UpperNile and Victoria receiveseed for Terminalia superba,the "umbrella tree." It isgood for timber and shade.

Plant your tree seed assoon as you receive it:

For Terminalia, removethe "wings" on the outsideof the seed if they are still there. Soakthe seed in cold water for 24 hours.

Free seed for schools

In 2009 Tree Talkraised490,000 seedlings inits six tree nurseries in

Yumbe, Adjumani, Moyo,Kitgum, Gulu and Amuru.These were distributedto 350 schools, creating350 acres of woodlots.

Tree Talksupported40 community groupsto raise an additional255,000 trees. In all, 20different types of treeswere raised, including48,000 mahoganies,200,000 Lusambya and7000 Mvule.

If you are a schoolor CBO anywhere inUganda and would liketo work more closelywith Tree Talk, write to

PO Box 22366, Kampalaor call Tree Talk's GasterKiyingi on 077-2-448110.He says: "Tree growingis a valuable venture,capable of earningschools a lot of money,but it requires planning."

Thanks to their woodlot,Payipi PS in Paderhas paid teachers'salaries. Koro AbiliPS in Gulu renovatedold classrooms. Otherschools around thecountry have also growntrees from Tree Talkseed.

Write and tell us howyour school has used itstree seed. Best letterswin a Tree TalkT-shirt.

because withthis climateoscillation ofours, anythingcan happen.

Above: S4 students from the tree-plantingclub at Adjumani SS

Anyone can plant trees! YOUR LETTERSDear Tree Talk- After the forests werecleared, rainfall decreased and didn'tfall in the right season. There have beenterrible floods in recent years becausethere is not enough vegetation to controthe speed of the rainwater. Without treethe fertile soil is washed away.

Thembo H, 12, Bundibugyo PS

Dear Tree Talk- My family is normallyburning charcoal and getting money forschool fees. But if you burn trees in youarea you cannot receive enough rainfallMutebi R, Greenland PS, Bundibugyo

How has

your school used

Tree Talkseed, or benefited

from trees? Write to PO Box

22366, Kampala. Best

letters win T-shirts!

Tree Talk's nurseries in Kitgumand Adjumani (inset) producedover 300,000 seedlings in 2009.

ForAlbizia, wash andsoak in water for 18hours.Fill a pot or polythenebag with soil. Place theseed just beneath thesurface. Keep the pot inthe shade. Water everymorning and evening.

Albizia will germinate in7 days and Terminaliain 15-25 days.

As the seedlings grow,slowly remove theshade.Transplant Terminaliaseedlings to the

field 4 weeks aftergermination, and

Albizia after 6-8 weeks.Keep watering.

tree talk, april 2010

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