Tokai Arboretum

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Tokai Arboretum
Location
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Tokai Arboretum
Tokai Arboretum (South Africa)
Nearest city Cape Town
Coordinates 34°03′35″S18°25′00″E / 34.0596694°S 18.4167583°E / -34.0596694; 18.4167583 Coordinates: 34°03′35″S18°25′00″E / 34.0596694°S 18.4167583°E / -34.0596694; 18.4167583
Area64 acres (26 ha) [1]
Governing body South African National Parks
Website South African National Parks
Tokai Arboretum, Tokai Park Tokai Arboretum Entrance.jpg
Tokai Arboretum, Tokai Park

The Tokai Arboretum was the first large-scale silviculture experimental station in Cape Town, South Africa. The area of the main Arboretum, at Tokai Park, is 14 ha. Several adjacent compartments extend the area to 26 ha. The Arboretum was declared a National Monument in 1985, on its 100th anniversary. It contains stands of Eucalyptus and other trees from the original silviculture experiments in South Africa. In the 1990s a Gondwana Garden was created to display the plants typical of the Cape 100 million years ago. [2]

Contents

The Tokai Arboretum is a collection of trees of different sizes, established without a silvicultural or arboricultural plan (lack of open vistas, swards, shrubberies and beds of flowers to display the trees). Tokai Arboretum has stands of Karri ( Eucalyptus diversicolor ), Scribbly Gum, Jarrah ( Eucalyptus marginata ), Redwoods (Sequoioideae), Aleppo Pines ( Pinus halepensis ), Stone Pines ( Pinus pinea ) and many other tree species. [3] There are about 28 trees in the main Arboretum with record heights for South Africa.

The main Arboretum at Tokai is the oldest wholly government financed arboretum in South Africa. Following the establishment of the main Arboretum, three lesser arboreta were initiated at Tokai Plantation, namely the Paddock Arboretum (on infertile sands of the Cape Flats), the Spekboom Belt Arboretum (on fertile granite slopes) and the Flagstaff Arboretum. The latter was soon abandoned. [2]

Gum trees at Tokai Arboretum Gum Trees, Tokai Arboretum, Cape Town.jpg
Gum trees at Tokai Arboretum

History

The first exotic plantings at Tokai were made in 1694, when English Oaks (Quercus robur) were established there by Simon van der Stel. The earliest attempt at commercial afforestation at Tokai was in 1884 when Joseph Storr Lister planted Monterey Pines (Pinus radiata). In 1886 an arboretum was laid out adjoining the nursery at Tokai, and 150 species were established, including a few indigenous species. There were already some Stone Pine present in a small copse. During 1902 some additional 43 plant species were established in the Tokai Arboretum. A systematic effort was made to introduce other exotic species for plantation trial and it was decided to obtain species from countries with similar climates. Trees from Australia, India, the southern states of North America and Mexico consequently received attention. The plantation trials revealed that conifers were more suited to the Cape Flats than broad-leaved trees, although Eucalyptus did well on deeper, richer soils. [2]

From 1906-1911 Tokai hosted The South African Forestry School "for training men for the higher grades of the Forest Service." Two students of this school, J.D.M. Keet and A.J. O'Conner, later became directors of national forestry. In 1932 this school was moved to Saasveld, near George, Western Cape. In 1933 the director of forestry, Mr. J.D.M. Keet, requested the conservator of forestry to devote more attention to the Tokai Arboretum's upkeep, and provided specific instructions, aimed at making the area more attractive to visitors and at improving its educational and scientific value. However, the Tokai Arboretum lapsed steadily into a state of greater neglect. During 1951, Mr. Paul Sauer, as minister of forestry, also remarked unfavourably on the unkempt appearance and the absence of labels for tree species. [2] [4]

Current state

Although many of the trees are healthy, many are dead or moribund. Heavy invasions by Long-leaf Wattle, Blackwood, Cypress, Eucalyptus and Australian Cheesewood need to be continuously controlled. Black Locust and English Elm are coppicing particularly badly. Heavy invasions by Outeniqua and Real Yellowwood (alien to the Cape Flats) are also evident. Some areas are heavily infested with Kikuyu and Buffalo Grass. The roads through the main Arboretum are also generally in a poor condition. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eucalyptus</i> Genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family

Eucalyptus is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including Corymbia, they are commonly known as eucalypts. Plants in the genus Eucalyptus have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard or stringy, leaves with oil glands, and sepals and petals that are fused to form a "cap" or operculum over the stamens. The fruit is a woody capsule commonly referred to as a "gumnut".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coppicing</span> Method of tree management

Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level, resulting in a stool. New growth emerges, and after a number of years, the coppiced tree is harvested, and the cycle begins anew. Pollarding is a similar process carried out at a higher level on the tree in order to prevent grazing animals from eating new shoots. Daisugi, is a similar Japanese technique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plantation</span> Agricultural estate growing cash crops

A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The crops that are grown include cotton, cannabis, coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar cane, opium, sisal, oil seeds, oil palms, fruits, rubber trees and forest trees. Protectionist policies and natural comparative advantage have sometimes contributed to determining where plantations are located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tree planting</span> Process of transplanting tree seedlings

Tree-planting is the process of transplanting tree seedlings, generally for forestry, land reclamation, or landscaping purposes. It differs from the transplantation of larger trees in arboriculture and from the lower-cost but slower and less reliable distribution of tree seeds. Trees contribute to their environment over long periods of time by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife. During the process of photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen we breathe.

<i>Pinus radiata</i> Species of conifer

Pinus radiata, the Monterey pine, insignis pine or radiata pine, is a species of pine native to the Central Coast of California and Mexico. It is an evergreen conifer in the family Pinaceae.

<i>Pinus pinaster</i> Species of plant

Pinus pinaster, the maritime pine or cluster pine, is a pine native to the south Atlantic Europe region and parts of the western Mediterranean. It is a hard, fast growing pine bearing small seeds with large wings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokai, Cape Town</span> Place in Western Cape, South Africa

Tokai, a large residential suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, is situated on the foothills of the Constantiaberg, and is bordered by Steenberg and Kirstenhof to the south, Bergvliet to the east, Constantia to the north and the SAFCOL pine tree plantations against the mountain to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social forestry in India</span>

Social forestry is the management and protection of forests and afforestation of barren and deforested lands with the purpose of helping environmental, social and rural development. The term social forestry was first used in 1976 by The National Commission on Agriculture, when the government of India aimed to reduce pressure on forests by planting trees on all unused and fallow lands. It was intended as a democratic approach to forest conservation and usage, maximizing land utilization for multiple purposes.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newlands Forest</span> Conservancy area in Cape Town, South Africa

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The National Arboretum Canberra is a 250-hectare arboretum in Canberra, the national capital of Australia, created after the area was burned out as a result of the Christmas 2001 and 2003 Canberra bushfires: The Himalayan Cedar forest lost about one third of its trees, and the commercial Radiata Pine plantation was burned out, allowing the arboretum to be created.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Flats Sand Fynbos</span> Vegetation type endemic to the City of Cape Town

Cape Flats Sand Fynbos (CFSF), previously known as Sand Plain Fynbos, is a critically endangered vegetation type that occurs only within the city of Cape Town. Less than 1% of this unique lowland fynbos vegetation is conserved.

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Cecilia is a section of the Table Mountain National Park on the lower eastern slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town, located just to the south of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. It was previously used for commercial logging and known as Cecilia Forest or Cecilia Plantation, but has now been given protected status and integrated into the National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Storr Lister</span>

Joseph Storr Lister was a South African forester and Conservator of Forests. He was educated at the Diocesan College in Rondebosch, and in 1885 married Georgina Bain, daughter of Thomas Charles John Bain, the roadbuilder and engineer.

<i>Nudaurelia cytherea</i> Species of moth

Nudaurelia cytherea, also called the pine tree emperor moth or Christmas caterpillar due to its festive colouration, is a southern African member of the family Saturniidae. The family has large edible caterpillars which are an important source of protein for the Bantu peoples of southern Africa. The genus Nudaurelia is closely related to Gonimbrasia and Imbrasia. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokai Park</span> Small section of Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa

Tokai Park, previously known as "Tokai Forest", is a small wing, about 600 ha, of the greater Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa. Tokai Park is made up of two sections: upper and lower Tokai Park. Lower Tokai Park is flat, and characterized by the threatened Cape Flats Sand Fynbos. Upper Tokai Park is on the slopes of Constantiaberg Mountain, and consists of conservation area as well as the Tokai Arboretum. Upper Tokai Park is characterized by Peninsula Granite Fynbos, Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos and Afromontane Forest and noted for its diversity.

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References

  1. "Tokai and Cecilia Management Framework 2005–2025" (PDF). South African National Parks. 2006.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Van Rooyen, A.H.J (2015). The History of Tokai Park, 1792 to 1910, as record of a heritage strategy. Doctoral Thesis.
  3. Tony Rebelo (2018-10-22). "TREES OF THE TOKAI ARBORETUM". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  4. Immelman, W.F.E. (1973). Our green heritage: a book about indigenous and exotic trees in South Africa, about trees and timber in our cultural history and about our extensive silvicultural, forestry and timber industries. Tafelberg, Cape Town. pp. 25–28.

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