Trees provide oxygen, clean the air around us, absorbs carbon dioxide and reduces the need for air-conditioning. Cities occupy less than 3% of the global terrestrial surface, but account for 78% of carbon emissions, 60% of residential water use, and 76% of wood used for industrial purposes. By 1900, just 10% of the global population was living in urban areas which now exceeds 50% and is expected to further rise to 67% in the next 50 years (Grimm et al. 2008).

In developing countries, about 44 per cent of the population currently lives in urban areas, but in the next 20 to 30 years, developing countries in Asia and Africa are likely to cross that historic threshold, joining Latin America in having a majority of urban residents (UN-Habitat 2009, Montgomery 2008). Undoubtedly, urbanization will continue to have substantial impact on the ecology, economy and society at local, regional, and global scales. As this review will demonstrate, benefits of urban green spaces are wide-ranging including physical and psychological health, social cohesion, climate change mitigation, pollution abatement, biodiversity conservation and provision of ecosystem goods and service to urban inhabitants. The term “urban trees” includes trees growing both within the built environment as well as road-side avenues and public places in urban areas such as parks.

Currently, developed countries have tended to adopt a general standard of green space of 20 m² park area per capita (Sukopp et al. 1995; Wang 2009). International minimum standard suggested by World Health Organization (WHO) and adopted by the publications of United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a minimum availability of 9 m2 green open space per city dweller (Kuchelmeister, 1998).

The information available globally suggests that the cities in developed countries, in general, have more trees compared to cities in developing countries, which often fall below the minimum standard set by WHO of 9 m2 green open space per city dweller. From an ecological perspective, some studies have suggested that a realistic target of 10% of tree cover throughout urban areas is necessary to create an ecologically sustainable city (Hashimoto et al. 2005).

Functions of urban trees
Trees in urban areas provide a variety of ecosystem services including biodiversity conservation, removal of atmospheric pollutants, purification of air, oxygen generation, noise reduction, mitigation of urban heat island effects, microclimate regulation, stabilization of soil, ground water recharge, prevention of soil erosion, increase of property values and carbon sequestration (Bolund and Hunhammar 1999). More simply and easily noticeable, trees provide shade especially in warm cities of the tropics. Urban trees in the USA store 700 million tonnes of carbon ($14,300 million value) with a gross carbon sequestration rate of 22.8 million tC/yr ($460 million/year). Pollution removal (O3, PM10, NO2, SO2, CO) varied among cities with total annual air pollution removal by US urban trees estimated at 711,000 metric tons ($3.8 billion value) (Nowak et al. 2006). Likewise, the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa has 115,200 indigenous street trees planted during the period 2002–2008. It has been estimated that the tree planting will result in 200,492 tonnes CO2 equivalent reduction and that 54,630 tonnes of carbon will be sequestrated.

The state of urban trees in Ghana
Despite all the recorded benefits of trees in urban areas, trees have been less valued in urban areas of most developing countries of which Ghana is no exception. I am unable to provide figures about trees in Ghanaian cities but what is clear is that the existing ones are not properly protected and managed. While street trees in developed countries are jealously protected, the few urban trees in Ghanaian cities are left to their fate with all the pressure that humans and animals put on them. Nails are commonly driven into trees so as to hold various posters of advertisement. These nails are a source of injury to trees and negatively affect the ability of trees to provide all the benefits named above. Both humans and animals do not only rest under trees but also urinate there. What is probably unknown is that urine is acidic in nature and hence affects tree roots. Also, people park cars under shade of trees and this causes compaction of the soil just around the tree trunk. Such compaction means that less air and water is able to penetrate down to tree roots and this tends to shorten lifespan of trees. Similarly, during construction works, no attention is given to tree roots and most trees die in the process. It is good practice to allow some space around a tree trunk during construction of pavements in cities.

How to improve?
First of all, I think more awareness has to be created among people about the importance of trees and urban green spaces. In this regard, the media should at least spend some time on such topics in order to change public perception and knowledge. Secondly, city authorities have to do more towards protection of trees and ensuring that urban trees are healthy. Currently, some urban trees pose a health hazard since they can fall at any time and crush something or someone. Thirdly, specific trees must be planted in cities. Not every kind of tree species is appropriate for cities. The function we would like a tree to provide may dictate its size, shape (form), life span, canopy density, colour, growth rate, fruit characteristics and other attributes. Particular attention therefore has to be put on which type of tree is planted under which condition. My next article will provide the qualities that a tree needs to be successful in an urban setting and provide some examples of tree species that would be better to plant.

In conclusion, a city without trees is like food without salt and we have no choice either than to seriously consider increasing and protecting trees in our cities. If temperate countries where temperatures are generally low still take tree planting in cities seriously, how much more the countries of the tropics which need trees to help regulate the usually high temperatures and especially to provide shade.
Let us all protect our city trees for healthy lives!

Reginald Guuroh ([email protected])
Germany

This article is a reaction to an article which is recently published by the Daily Guide on modernghana.com. The article can be found here: http://www.modernghana.com/news/356819/1/all-die-be-die-movement-launched.html

I am really shocked at the incessant pursuit of the “All die be die” agenda which is swirling in the NPP. Against all arguments this agenda has no etymological morality neither it is even professional let alone reflecting the objectives of the “All die be die Movement” which has currently been launched in the Ashanti Region. Where is Ghana moving towards?

Nana Addo Danquah who first used the phrase in his campaign tours in Koforidua least taught about the influence of words and it’s consequences.

Etymology of All die be die

I recently read an article by K. Awusabo-Asare et al. captioned, “‘All die be die’: obstacles to change in the face of HIV infection in Ghana.” In the article, the authors outlined the origin of the word which in its broader sense saw it as an obstacle to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The philosophical transliteration of the word will mean, “In whichever way you die, death is death.” To the person who live by this statement, death is not a matter of question. The actual sense or etymology of the phrase is not positive to a conscientious person who thinks that life has a fulfillment and therefore must be lived with care and caution.

As part of the aims of the All die be die movement as outlined in the article shall include “… to protect the country’s young democracy and to project the opposition flag-bearer Nana Akufo-Addo who is credited with popularizing the ‘all-die-be-die’ phrase… the movement will play a crucial role in educating many Ghanaians on their civic responsibility.”

In such academia world today, one could see that the target of the movement is not incongruent with the name as supposed. Something that seeks to protect the nation and to promote peace will not bear such a name. It’s unethical to Ghanaian norms and values and further unprofessional in it’s nature.

In the article, it was stated that, “…every Ghanaian has a responsibility to protect himself or herself in the face of intimidation and repression by political opponents, especially when the security forces, whose duty it is to protect lives of all Ghanaians look on helplessly.”

I can say with all confidence that, this movement is an angry mob and seek to take vengeance by themselves “by hook or crook” because all die be die. It is a conspiracy movement. They think the rules have not been fair and those responsible for settling justice have failed so it’s time to promote courage in their own way.

Because of the ongoing opposition between the NPP and NDC, one needs to be very careful with words and whatever one does.

So could we trust NPP at all? Will the nobles and scholars within the NPP sit down for such a deviant movement be going on in the party? If nothing is done about this movement, am afraid to say that, the agenda to protect our young democracy is at risk. I am really disappointed in Nana Addo Danquah and his NPP.

The time has come for Ghana to move forward in the right direction. After 55 years of independence, our minds are not still fashioned professionally and artistically. Where are we going?

I will also even condemn the propaganda office within the NDC. All these things are institutions which are sending the country back to it’s dark ages.

The role of the judiciary

The judiciary of Ghana has actually failed Ghana. These are some of the issues that the law must deal with to prevent future catastrophes. It’s about time the judiciary of Ghana begin to question some matters arising in Ghana especially those that sensitize conflict.

Ghana must live. Yes she must live!

Clifford Owusu-Gyamfi, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

During my days as a student in KNUST, we were discussing deforestation one day and I remember a friend told me that it was impossible for all the trees to disappear and hence he added that there was absolutely no need for me to study Forest management. That is the extent to which we can take the trees and forests around us for granted. Contrary to my friend’s view, there is no doubt whatsoever that all the mature trees can indeed vanish. Current trends of degradation and deforestation suggest that much of our country will end up as desert within the next half century. See tables 1 and 2 below.

According to Mongabay.com, between 1990 and 2000, Ghana lost an average of 135,400 hectares of forest per year. This amounts to an average annual deforestation rate of 1.82%. Also, between 2000 and 2005, the rate of forest change increased by 4.2% to 1.89% per annum. In total, between 1990 and 2005, Ghana lost 25.9% of its forest cover, or around 1,931,000 hectares.

Table 1: Ghana’s Forest cover 2010 

Total Land Area (1000 square kilometers) — 22754

Total Forest Area (1000 ha) — 4940

Percent Forest Cover — 22

Primary Forest Cover (1000 ha) — 395

Primary Forest, % total forest — 8

Other wooded land (1000 ha) — 0

Percent other wooded land — 0

Table 2: TOTAL FOREST COVER (1000 ha)

Year ——- Remaining cover

1990 ——- 7448

2000 ——- 6094

2005 ——- 5517

2010 ——- 4940

Source: http://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/2000/Ghana.htm

As seen in table 2 above, the forest cover continues to decrease from 1990 to 2010. This suggests that if pragmatic measures are not taken to halt or reverse the trend, Ghana could be moving towards serious problems.

In this article I intend to assess the tree resource of our nation, highlight their important uses and hence redirect public interest towards tree planting and forest protection in general. First of all it may be prudent to answer the question of what a tree is. One great Forester defined a tree as any plant which is big enough such that you can climb it. For the purposes of this article I think it is sufficient but from a more scientific point of view, a tree is any plant greater than 5min height and with an upright stem.

It is an undeniable fact that trees play a vital role in our very existence as humans. They perform vital ecological, environmental, cultural, economic, and spiritual functions. Trees release oxygen through photosynthesis, enabling animals and humans to live. Many people may be familiar with the expression “when the last tree dies, the last man dies” but the question is, how seriously do we take this saying?

Trees are important for maintaining the energy balance of the earth. They also play a vital role in the water cycle and hence can help regulate rainfall distribution and intensity. Also, trees bind soil particles together thus minimizing the risk of soil erosion and may also serve to maintain and improve soil fertility. Trees are also found to be useful in conserving and prolonging the life span of water bodies as they tend to conserve the moisture levels. Due to the soil-binding properties of the roots, trees can also help prevent siltation of water bodies through erosion. Furthermore, trees have the potential to minimize risk of floods by regulating surface and subsurface water flows, thus enabling gradual recharge of groundwater. Firstly, trees prevent the direct physical impact of heavy rains on the soil. Secondly during rains, water is intercepted by tree leaves, branches, stems and roots and this is released gradually thus preventing what would otherwise have been a direct one-off input of water into the ground. Though not the complete solution to flooding, floods are more likely to occur where there are no trees than where there are trees.

Trees also play a vital role in nutrient cycling by taking up nutrients from the deep parts of the soil (with their deep rooting system) and returning it through litter fall to the top soil where other plant roots (with different rooting strategies) can make use of the nutrients. In this regard, if appropriate species are selected, trees may help to improve fertility and thus improve crop yields and productivity. This is why our farmers must be encouraged to embrace the planting of trees on their farms. Trees also help to reduce wind speeds thus playing a crucial role in reducing damage associated with storms. A house with no trees around it is more likely to have the roof taken off as compared to one with lots of trees. Private households and public buildings must be encouraged to plant lots of tall trees around to minimize the occurrences of wind disasters that happen on a yearly basis in the country.

Planting trees would also help improve our health. The more trees we have around, the more refined the air around. Trees help to absorb carbon dioxide, dust and other gases present in the air and thus may reduce air related diseases.

Last but not least, trees provide shade to allow us to hide from the searing heat of the sun. We all know the relief we feel when we get under a nice shade after a long walk under the sun. Trees are also known to store carbon and thus reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This helps to fight climate change and global warming. It is known that the amount of carbon currently stored in trees is twice as much as the amount in the atmosphere now (IPCC 2007). Imagine what would happen therefore if all of this is released into the atmosphere as a result of deforestation. This means that we would have three times as much carbon dioxide as we have today and several times as much climate related disasters as we have today. Another important issue to mention is that tropical trees store twice as much carbon as trees in the temperate zone (Ravindranath and Madelene, 2008), hence it is even more important to protect our trees and to plant more. Temperate regions are particularly reliant on tropical regions for storing carbon up in trees.

Comparing the deforestation rates with the amount of replanting in Ghana, I feel it would be right to say that trees have been more a rejected resource than protected. I would make the following recommendations as a way of helping improve the tree cover of the nation.

1. Our housing laws must be restructured to ensure that every one who builds a house also incorporates tree planting around the house. This will reduce the amount of destruction caused by wind. Note also that trees planted around houses must be well managed to reduce risk of damage from tree fall.

2. The media should devote some time to raise awareness on tree planting as well as tree protection. What people hear more often tends to influence their perceptions and behaviours hence if more about tree planting is talked about, it will hopefully help. Tree planting should be a daily affair and not a special thing that happens once in a year.

3. Agroforestry practices should be embraced and farmers should be encouraged to incorporate tree planting into their normal agricultural activities.

4. Government and other development partners such as NGOs should introduce schemes that provide farmers with incentives to incorporate tree planting activities as well as reward farmers who do not cut down already existing trees on their farm lands

5. Government and other development partners should provide seedlings for interested farmers at low cost and also encourage community wood land establishment
All said and done, this piece of work will come down to a mere rhetoric if no action is initiated as a result of it. I encourage readers to plant a tree each upon reading this article. Come to think about it, can we not plant a tree each year say on our birthdays? I am pretty sure that this would not be too much to accomplish and we can each find land at home, or at the office to do this. Plant it on your birthday and assess how well you have done by your next birthday and plant another one.

Plant a tree today and save your local environment and the climate and the world

Credit: Guuroh Reginald
Email: [email protected]

[email protected]
[email protected]

References
1. http://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/2000/Ghana.htm
2. IPCC 2007. Synthesis report
3. Ravindranath N.H and Madelene O., (2008). Carbon Inventory Methods Handbook for Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Carbon Mitigation and Roundwood Production Projects