Training on Roads for Water and Resilience

ROAD SIDE PLANTING

Benefits of road side planting (1) 1. Reduced soil erosion: holds soils in place 2. Remove dust and other pollutants from the air, protecting crops and road-side communities 3. Wind break 4. Flood control: slow and absorb road run-off

Benefits of road side planting (2) 5. Improved water quality by vegetation’s ability to trap sediment and increase water infiltration 6. Increasing road stability: vegetation helps to lower local water tables that may affect the road formation and pavement 7. Safety: reinforcing road alignment, serving as crash barriers, protecting view planes and reducing wind speeds 8. Carbon dioxide sequestration

Benefits of road side planting (3) 9. Defence against invasive weeks 10. Provide important pollinator habitat (honey production!) 11. Provide shade and keep the road cool for road users

What can be the problems derived from this road?

Retaining fine dust by roadside vegetation  Dust is affecting the health of people living along the road and crop productivity.  Identified as a top three problem from unpaved roads

Wind speed and turbulence

Case study Vaassen (The Netherlands)

Porosity (1) A porosity of 35-50% is optimal in terms of influencing turbulence above: closed element (eg noise barrier or a dense hedge. middle: porous element (eg half open hedge or row of trees with undergrowth.) below: incomplete element (eg line of trees without undergrowth)

Porosity (2)

Height & width To acomplish a good degree of porosity elements should be approximately 5-20 meters wide consisting of tall trees with a bush layer underneath.

Interception of fine dust  Good conditions to intercept dust:  1. An irregular structure of the vegetation  2. Micro relief leafage  3. Pointed shape such as needles  4. Sticky, rough and hairy characteristics of leafs

Planning steps Analyze the situation with respect to social, economic and ecological aspects of roadside planting: ownership, proximity to villages and farmland, availability of water resources To assess the vegetation and biophysical conditions To map out strategies for effective planning and implementation Develop a good management system

Assessing biophysical factors  Climate data  Water resources available  Soil physical and chemical properties  Major stress factors with respect to survival of planted seedlings: drought, salinity, herbivores (domestic, wild animals), wind, fire, insect and diseases, human physical damage (theft)  Local knowledge on improving planted seedlings survival and tree management  Local people species selection criteria

Importance of biophysical conditions  Species-site matching significantly determines the success of planting  Rainfall and temperature: length of the dry season determines the suitability of a site for roadside planting  Altitude  Vegetation: observe indigenous trees

Stakeholder consultation  Increase participation  Disseminate information  Understand the attitude of the community towards roadside planting  Collect data and information on community characteristics and identify community concerns: issue of dust on feeder roads, erosion…  Understand private and public ownership of land including ownership by road authorities

Why were these trees lopped?

Criteria for selection of trees Tree species shall preferably be:  unpalatable  evergreen or remain green over most of the year  shall have a crown architecture with more horizontal than vertical extension  tolerant of seasonal drought and insect and pest harms  deep rooted to resist wind power  shall not be invasive  fast growing  shall have one or more of social and economic values such as medicinal, food, fuel wood, feed, shade, etc

Local people species selection criteria Native plants are best suited to the local conditions, require less maintenance and persist longer than non-local species Picture: Euclea racemosa

Some useful trees and shrubs for roadside planting  Ziziphus spina ‑ christi  Spiny shrub  Very good for high quality honey production  Firewood, charcoal, timber

 Grevillea robusta  Firewood, charcoal, timber (furniture), poles, fodder (leaves), bee forage, shade, ornamental, soil conservation, windbreak.  Tree grows well with food crops if managed to reduce shade. Some useful trees and shrubs for roadside planting

 Justicia schimperiana  Leafy shrub up to 4 m  Firewood, live fence  Evergreen Some useful trees and shrubs for roadside planting

 Schinus molle  Evergreen tree  Firewood, charcoal, bee forage, shade, soil conservation, windbreak. Some useful trees and shrubs for roadside planting

 Casuarina equisetifolia  A tree up to 20 m.  Firewood, charcoal, timber (construction), poles, fodder (young leaves), shade, mulch, soil conservation, soil improvement, nitrogen fixation, windbreak. Some useful trees and shrubs for roadside planting

Criteria for identifying planting sites (1)  Planting sites shall be at reasonable distance from farmlands as well as from the edge of the road  Sites shall have good access to water sources  Sites with established animal paths shall not be considered  Sites with nearby households engaged in farming or other activities shall be priorities

Criteria for identifying planting sites (2)  Sites shall have access to nursery  Sites shall be close to an agriculture office  Sites shall not be severely degraded  Sites shall have a community with positive attitude to trees and other vegetation  Take into account the effect of the shade on crops (direction of the sun) when deciding location

Implementation phase Nursery  Healthy and vigorous seedlings are key for tree planting success  Lack of quality seeds of some species is one of the bottlenecks in the nursery management  Regular follow up of the nursery operations will ensure production of quality seedling that fit to the present objectives

Implementation phase Site preparation 1. Eliminate weeds: Competition from the roots of other plants growing in the area slows the reestablishment of newly planted tress’ roots. 2. Improve the soil: the soil must be loose enough (have adequate pore space) for roots to penetrate and to provide an ample supply of water and oxygen 3. Pre-prepare the planting holes

Implementation phase Planting and tending  Site preparation by digging of planting holes.  Most commonly, tree planting is conducted during the wet season  Fencing around seedlings to protect from herbivores

Maintenance (1)  The most important element in planting survival  Do not establish a planting until the necessary resources for maintenance have been arranged  Developing mechanisms that enhance the economical return of tree plantation to ensure maintenance  Prevent livestock physical contacts with the seedlings and dry season watering are vital

Maintenance (2) Key elements  Water: Trees and shrubs should be watered thoroughly at the time of planting and several times during the early establishment phase  Pruning: It is important to develop well-spaced structural branches early in the life of a tree.  Mulch: helps hold moisture in the soil and suppresses weed germination. Waterpads: absorb water and nutrients and provide everything what plants need. 7 grams of polymers absorb 1 liter of water

Management interventions  Develop a viable management arrangement  Examples:  1. Pay tree keepers a small amount on money for the surviving seedlings after one year (India)  2. Bank providing loans to tree keepers for six to eight years (tree maturity period) after this, tree is sold with 50% of returns for the bank (Uganda)  3. People in nearby cities wanting to save money for the long term give trees in custody to rural tree keepers, when the tree is mature the benefits are shared (Indonesia)

Key factors for success: 1. Awareness creation  For roadside planting to succeed, it is vital to create awareness on actual benefits of tree planting among roadside communities  Provide more time and resources for community mobilization and awareness creation works than actual project implementation activities (tree planting)

Key factors for success: 2. Participation  Encourage full participation in project implementation by national, district and local authorities and communities  Consultation: selection of tree species together with roadside communities and local experts  Include minority groups and women

Opportunities in Ethiopia  Tree planting is in line with on-going watershed activities  Local population across road stretches is feeling the pressures of deforestation and land degradation  Dust is a major health and farm productivity issue along the fast expanding network of feeder road  Tree planting is an opportunity for employment

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