Reforestation: magnificent melia volkensii in Dokolo
- Mr. Odwe’s melia v. nursery in Dokolo
On July 11, OCHAN visited the tree nursery of Mr. Julius Odwe, who first introduced us to melia volkensii last summer in a visit to our project site in Opac. He touted it as a great hardwood tree that could grow well in semi-arid zones, provide timber as a source of income after 10 years, and help to fight soil erosion and effects of climate change. Until this day we had no idea what a grown melia v. tree looked like. We were treated to so many grown and aging versions that we went crazy taking photos and came away even more convinced of the tree’s value as well as its beauty. We also learned that a local variety of this tree does not grow as straight as ones imported from Brazil which we saw on this day. Learning that the soil melia v. likes for germination contains, in ratios of 8:1:1, black soil, manure, sand will help us be more successful in germinating our seeds.
over ten years old trunk of a melia v.
tops have been removed to encourage growth of trunk's girth
We visited the home of one of Mr. Odwe’s relatives where the melia v. were stately and at least 10-15 years old. A youngster in the home nimbly climbed up one tree to get a sprig of seeds for us to carry back to Opac. We once again thank Mr. Odwe for the hospitality and tour he arranged for us even though he could not be present due to pressing police business in Kampala.
I love this blog and I want to thank you for creating it. I am looking to plant a lot of trees, not thirsty ones, in a semi arid region Southwest Somalia called Gedo. I am specifically interested in starting a reforestation program in the vicinity of the city of Beled Xawo. I just want to thank you for the website/blog. It has been very helpful and I look forward to reading more posts.