Stories from Karichota
Karichota retreat is on the slopes of Mount Kenya. It is surrounded by marvellous trees.
Keith Pearson, our tree story teller says "it is not our intention to load you down with scientific information (for that we highly recommend the Useful Trees and Shrubs for Kenya, published by the World Agroforestry Centre, see our resources page) but to share our experiences of the species here at Karichota and hopefully encourage you to plant widely and wisely". Over to Keith...
Most of my mornings start with me feeding the seed eaters at the clay pillar at Dawn. This morning, as I observed my blessed ritual, I looked up to find the “Gawa” (Carissa Edulis) in full flower. As I admired its bright flowers and inhaled its jasmine-like scent, I was reminded how the health of this shrub depended on the well-being and proximity of its neighbours, rather than being kept in splendid isolation. One of the remarkable features of the Mt. Kenya forests is that many trees and shrubs flourish in close proximity to each other, and one can often find 12-15 species in a 20m square space. I refer to this symbiotic relationship as “Clumping” and often encourage this process by planting cuttings from the plants already there to increase the coverage. This seems very successful, unless there are too many browsing animals who refuse to give the new growth a chance.
This observation led me back to one of my most pleasurable visits, which was to the LaFarge Cement Factory Rehabilitation Project at Bamburi, Mombasa in the 1990s (the first of many such visits!) Begun in the early 70s under the visionary leadership of the Swiss naturalist René Haller, the project has seen a barren, industrial wasteland be transformed into a verdant, animal-filled landscape with waterways and thriving forests covering hundereds of hectares. Starting with the humble millipede to break down the coral rock into active humus, the park now welcomes over a hundred thousand visitors a year (well, a normal year at least.). (You can read more about the Bamburi project here - ed)
Recently I have been introduced to the ground-breaking (!) work of Professor Akira Miyawaki who encourages us to plant natural, indigenous forest mounds, no matter how small, to begin mini-forests in towns, gardens and public areas.
The practice is now common in the Indian cities of Bengaluru and Chennai and the results are astonishing and beneficial. For one such project, have a look at the Afforestt web site (www.afforestt.com) and see the work of Shubhendu Sharma.
For our particular part of Kenya, I would recommend Clumping the 12 trees mentioned in my tree stories plus all of the following beautiful shrubs, which will add colour and action to your new forest:
Carissa edulis
Hibiscus vitifolius
Bauhunia tomentosa (Camel foot)
Grewia similis
Rotheca myricoides (butterfly flower)
Now renamed Clerodendrum myricoides
Tinnea aethiopica
Rhus natalensis
Clausenia anisata
I started writing this set of Tree Stories at the beginning of May 2020 with a number of ideas in mind. I wanted to help visitors and friends become a little more familiar with some of the wonderful trees growing in out area, just as you would introduce your new friend to the old ones; I wanted to show how I had been personally affected by their presence, appearance and functions and, more than anything, I wanted to get my readers excited at the prospect of growing more trees and enjoying their company. Although I have dealt with the species separately, I would emphasize that they are inter-dependent and cooperative and so, in order to bring the project to a satisfying conclusion, I would like to suggest you plant your own forest; it is something that can be done easily and with enjoyment by you, your family and friends.
Start small with a Miyawaki Project, then participate in the Green Belt Movement National Tree Planting Intitiative.
That would make me smile….
