win Do not plant

Eucalyptus in
wetlands.
A TRAINING IN 2005 Wetlands are
water granaries
Do you run a CBO that
grows trees? Are you a and home to
teacher growing school the swamp
trees? Win a 3-day training palm. Swamp
at Nyabyeya Forestry palms are
College. Send photos and useful and
a letter about your tree important trees
growing to that are
Tree Talk, Box 22366, 5 threatened by
pril 200
Kampala by July 31. No.1 A over cutting.
Vol. 4

Wood-saving stoves
Hungry pupils? Students
angry over food? Eating is
A wood-saving stove
will save your money
a big issue in schools. and preserve the
Make your school happier. environment.
Improve learning with
If your school uses four
better feeding. trucks of firewood per
term with the three
How? Grow fast growing stone fire, you will only
trees. And buy or build a need one truck with a
wood-saving stove. Do not wood-saving stove!
waste wood by cooking on
three stones. World Food
Programme has
This issue of Tree Talk comes installed wood-
with Eucalyptus seed, the fastest saving cookers in 40
growing tree type we have in schools in Karamoja.
Uganda. Grow your woodlot!

And on page 2, learn more about

wood-saving cooking stoves. Fuel- Students, build a
saving stoves use wood much wood-saving stove
more efficiently than the for your mother. It
traditional three stone fire. reduces smoke and
heat in the kitchen.
There are small wood-saving The wood-saving stove at St Mary's SS, Madera, Soroti. It also reduces the
Wood is fed into an oven below the "sufuria". time spent while
stoves for homes and big ones for Energy from the burning wood is held inside the brick
schools. Every school needs to structure. The bottom and sides of the saucepan are collecting firewood.
aim at buying or building one. Put exposed to intense heat. Wind cannot reduce the heat. This gives you more
it in your school plan. Cooking is fast, and less wood is used. time for books!

Remember to grow indigenous trees!

Teacher and pupils of Kiboota PS, Fort Portal
caring for Mvule seedlings grown from Tree
Talk seeds.
As we grow Eucalyptus woodlots, let us Our Mvule is doing well! Teacher
and pupils of Hima PS, Kasese at
also grow indigenous Ugandan trees for the nursery where they have grown
shade, biodiversity, fruit, culture, heritage, about 300 Mvule seedlings.

medicine and as homes for birds and

animals.
Indigenous means "local" or "born of a certain place".
Indigenous trees have great value. We need both fast-growing
foreign trees like Eucalyptus and local trees like Mvule.

In July Tree Talk sent Mvule seed to schools in 34 districts.

Win an extra sachet of seed, by writing and telling us how
many you planted, how many germinated and how many are
doing well. Remember to protect them from livestock!

With this Tree Talk, we are sending

Eucalyptus seed to 18,000 schools, churches,
mosques and NGOs. With the July Tree Talk,
we will send Musizi seed. Get ready!
2 Tree Talk, April 2005

Wood-saving stoves conserve forest

Say "no" to three stone cooking! According to the just
COnsider a
We are using four lorry Yes, we cannot continue released Census, 97% of
loads of firewood for using the three stone
cooking in a term. This fire. We will build a Ugandans cook using
is too much! wood-saving stove. We
will need just one lorry firewood. Almost all
load a term. food is cooked on three-
stone fires.

This is a very serious

waste of wood: 85% of
the heat from the fire
goes into the air and not
into the food.

Abandon three stone

cooking for your home
Forest is also being lost to agriculture:
and family. Make or buy high tropical forest recently cut near
a wood-saving stove. Budongo.

Invest in a wood-saving stove wood-saving stove,

a woodsaving stove. But it is worth
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it! You save so much on firewood write to Tree Talk, PO Box
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that you get back what you spent 22366, Kampala.
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in just seven months. By using a
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fuel-efficient stove, you triple the
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For more information contact:

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amount of energy transferred The Energy Advisory Project,
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from the wood to the food being Ministry of Energy and Mineral

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cooked. You use less than half of Development, P. O Box 10346
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the wood you were using before. Kampala. Tel: 031-262 788 ○
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Email: ndaula@energy.go.ug
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Fuel efficient stoves are also safer.

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Fuel-saving stoves for home

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They produce almost no smoke The following are numbers of

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Boniface Mugoli can be made from clay, anthill,

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and are much less likely to cause

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makes a wood- ministry-trained and

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dry chopped banana leaves,

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burns to children. recommended manufacturers of

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saving stove at St.

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sand and mud bricks. These

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Angela Magale of wood-saving stoves in your

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materials are free!

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Girls PS, Mbale.

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There are two types of wood-

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region:
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Headmistress
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saving stoves for schools. One is

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Sister Mary Goretti

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made of bricks and fixed into the NORTH -

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explains how the

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ground. The other is made of 077877252, 075877252

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schol has cut

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firewood costs. metal and can be moved. Both can WEST NILE - 078329695
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hold a saucepan of 100 litres or CENTRAL -

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more. 077938841, 078441097

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It costs nothing to find three

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WESTERN -
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stones to cook on. But the wood For a Ministry of Energy 077442557, 078580044
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consumed by a three stone fire is

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book on how to build a

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EASTERN -
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very expensive in terms of money

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077466205, 077318479
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and damage to the environment.

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COUNTRYWIDE -
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077640073, 077586822
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In contrast, it will cost you or your

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school some money to buy or build

Efficient cooking practices
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• Always use dry firewood split into thin pieces.

Wet firewood loses its heat value in drying off
excess water. It also produces a lot of polluting
smoke.
• Always use a saucepan lid to cover food when
cooking. This creates cooking pressure leading to
faster softening of food and thereby saving fuel.
• Soak dry beans or peas for at least five hours
before starting to cook. This cuts down the
amount of energy to cook the food.
• Avoid putting too much water into the
Wood-saving stoves for saucepan. It takes a lot of energy to boil it,
schools: Fixed and mobile thereby wasting a lot of fuel.
 3 Tree Talk, April 2005

Earn big by growing trees of timber from Congo is illegal. It TT: How much money can I small poles and fuel wood?

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would also be bad for the make by selling those trees? F: We cannot help you. We support

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environment of Congo. F: It depends on the tree. At 20 only timber. But you can get small

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years, you should have 250 mature poles and fuel wood from thinning

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TT: Why will government pay Musizi trees on each of the 25 and pruning of the plantation

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people to plant hectares. A Musizi trees.

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timber? sells for about
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F: Because we need "We have not 100,000/= at TT: Where can I get seedlings?
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the timber yet it can planted since today's prices. That F: Order them six months before
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be hard for people to makes about 600 planting from a National Forestry
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1972 yet we have million shillings,
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have their money Authority nursery in your area.
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tied up in trees that continuously which is a lot of Seedlings cost 100-500/= each.
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take 20 years to harvested. We money. Or start your own nursery with
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mature. Govern- seed from the National Tree Seed
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are exceeding
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ment wants long- our annual TT: Which tree Centre. Here are contacts for NFA
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term investment in types can I plant? zonal nurseries:
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allowable cut
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trees. F: We have chosen
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from the natural six fast-growing
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Allan Amumpe: in charge of Mubende ............... 078527898
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TT: So how much forests. If we do timber trees:
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tree plantations at NFA. Mbarara ................ 077466498
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money do you not plant, we will Eucalyptus, Musizi,
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give? Terminalia, Lendu .................... 077452630
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Does your family, have to rely on
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F: We give you Auracaria, Cypress Katuugo ................ 077595545
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church or school have 600,000/= per timber from and Pine.
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Congo" Mwenge ................. 077553991
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25 hectares of land? hectare. You must
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plant 25 ha. So 15 TT: How long does Tree Seed Center ... 077561227
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Yes? Well, the
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million/= in total. it take before I
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NFA headquarters .. 077625387

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government is so keen
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can harvest?

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to promote growing of

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TT: Does that cover all the F: Pines and Musizi take about 20
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For more information, contact
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timber that it will give

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costs of planting? years. Eucalyptus, however, takes

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your NFA zonal office or Allan

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you 600,000/= per F: No, it covers half the costs. It only about 10-15 years to reach
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Amumpe at the National
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costs about 1.2 million to plant a timber size.
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hectare if you grow 25 Forestry Authority on

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hectare. You have the costs of

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Tel: 078-673899

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hectares. Tree Talk

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buying seedlings and paying TT: What if I want to grow
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Email: spgs@nfa.org.ug
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asked forester Allan
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labourers to dig holes, plant, weed

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Amumpe about the and protect the young trees from

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animals.
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scheme.
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TT: Can schools apply?

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Tree Talk: Why does Uganda

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F: Yes, schools, institutions,

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need tree plantations?

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religious bodies, CBOs and

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Forester: The demand for timber

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companies.
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for building and furniture is very

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high. Yet our last serious planting TT: When do you give the
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was in 1972! Since then we have

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money?
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never planted yet we have F: Once you have signed a

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continuously harvested.
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contract with us, you start

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planting. We pay you (after

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TT: Why can't we use timber

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inspections) in 3 installments over

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from natural forests?

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the first 2-3 years.

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F: The forests would get finished.

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We have already surpassed our

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TT: Who owns the trees?

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"annual allowable cut". They cannot F: You. The trees are yours and you
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produce enough timber.

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get all the profits.

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TT: What happens if we do not

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TT: How many trees do I have

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plant plantations? plant per hectare?

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F: We will have to rely on the

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F: It ranges from 625 trees per

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timber from Congo. That would be

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hectare for Musizi to 1372 for Musizi, a fastgrowing indigenous tree:

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bad for Uganda's reputation. A lot

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Eucalyptus and pine. great for timber and loved by birds.

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More eucalyptus seed for woodlots

This Tree Talk comes with Eucalyptus seed.
Make a shade
Use dark soil with organic manure to prepare a
seedbed. Mix equal portion of seed and fine 1 Make a seed bed Water gently

sand grains. Broadcast the mixture on the bed.

Cover with more sand and grass. Erect shade
for your seedbed. Water daily in the morning
and in the evening. Transplant seedlings into 1m
2 3
pots two weeks after germination. Keep them
in a nursery bed until when you are to
transplant to the woodlot. Water them if rain is
not enough. 2m
4 Tree Talk, April 2005

Your letters "I see Tree Talk as a guide to

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conservation and a channel

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Write to PO Box 22366, through which one can contribute

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Kampala. Every letter towards environment protection”

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published wins a T-shirt.

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Mugabe S, Chairperson

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Kikonko Community Nature

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CBOs and prisons for Tree Talk!

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Conservation, Masindi
After getting Tree Talk, we formed

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a club. Our aim is to plant Our school is partly bare. We are

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going to plant a woodlot with Tree

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woodlots and medicinal plants to Care for and protect your young

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Talk seeds. Teachers and pupils,

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fight poverty and desertification.
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trees. Teachers and pupils

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Thank you for the sensitization. Lugasa CU PS, Kayunga

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Kitamba PS, Masaka
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Obonyo J, Tree Talk club,

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Kakiika Prisons, Mbarara We thank Tree Talk for seeds that We donate seedlings to

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neighbouring schools and
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we used for planting 2 acres of

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communities. Pupils of Bishop's

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Eucalyptus woodlot. Send more!

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East PS, Mukono

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Director, White Angels PS,

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Kampala

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We used to ask pupils to bring

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firewood from their homes. We
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now get firewood from our

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woodlot. Atukunda BM, Nyamiko
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We raised 6000 seedlings from

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PS, Bushenyi

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seeds picked from mature school
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trees. About 3000 were planted at

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school and the rest given to every
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As a CBO, we are proud to be

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teacher and pupil to plant at home.

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associated with Tree Talk!
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We are proud of the knowledge

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Chairman Straight Talk and
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from Tree Talk. Kitiko Moses,

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Agroforestry club, Malera Kumi

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Kyemanga PS, Kapchorwa

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Thank you for the knowledge and Our students have formed an
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skills you have given to the nation. environment conservation club.

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They will benefit greatly from Tree

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Your seeds will colour our country
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We need more seeds to expand Pupils and teachers of

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and improve our environment. our woodlot. Pupils, Padea Talk. Headteacher, Kiyuni Sec/ Namukhonge PS, Mbale. Behind
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Kayemba H, Kibiri PS, Wakiso Olyeko PS, Nebbi Technical School is their woodlot.
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Great trees we use for medicine

In the last Tree Talk, we It helps them to defecate The Iti or Mukwaju tree is used
asked you to write about well when they get dry. for treating typhoid fever. You
trees you use for medicine. You pick fresh leaves, soak the pulp from
Thanks for your letters! squeeze and crush them. the seed and
Give the liquid to the goat. squeeze it using
Medicine is an Within a day the goat clean hands. The
important value of our defecates and starts eating solution is then
trees. Preserve and well. mixed with honey
grow medicinal trees. A Tumukunder, 20, S6, and is given to the
Learn about medicinal Chair, Tree Talk club, person suffering
trees from older Kabale Trinity College from typhoid. It is
people. This is very effective and
knowledge you cannot Here is the drawing of a tree has no side effects.
easily gain from books. which we normally use for Anguyo M,
medicine. It treats malaria, Teacher, Ojapi PS,
Here are some of fever and stomach pain. We cut Arua
your letters leaves and roots. It is the
This tree is called Ekibirizi tree. Sarah
Omusambya. It is Kemigisa, 14, P6, Kabarole

Winners
medicine mostly to goats. Islamic PS, Fort Portal.

Medicinal tree Health problem it helps Part used

All Tree Talk seed comes Baluka D, Kampala; Ahimbisibwe C,
Moringa**** Blood pressure, anaemia, ulcers All parts from the National Tree
Neem *** Fever, malaria (over 40 diseases) Leaves, bark, roots Seed Centre in Namanve, Kabale; Tibamakwa T, Mubende;
Eucalyptus ** Cough, leaves on the Jinja Rd, just Mbambu EJ, Abaryabangi V, Kobusinge T,
Mango * Cough, diarrhoea, dysentery Leaves, bark before Coca Cola. Baluku RM, Kipako AM, Kabugho A,
Tel: 041-286 049 Kasese; Draji J & Ajiga PL, Arua; Kintu H
Guava Diarrhoea in goats Leaves
Passion fruit Dehydration Leaves, roots & Mukose S, Iganga; Baluku C, Hoima;
Avocado Anaemia Leaves Ogwang D, Mbarara;
Paw paw Cough in chicken Roots Adongu S, Soroti; Drabile I, Yumbe;
Ficus exasperata Asthma Leaves Sidonyi PD, Mukono
Omujaja (Luganda) Constipation Leaves
Omusikizi (Rukiga) Removing ticks in cows Roots

TREE TALK TREE TALK is a project of: Forestry Inspection Division, Walaita, SP Amunau, Design: G.b
thanks WFP Straight Talk Foundation, National Forestry Authority Mukasa, MeB. Kalanzi Photographer: G
for its 45 Bukoto St. Kamwokya, and National Tree Awekofua Printer: The New Vision
support to PO Box 22366, Kampala Seed Centre. Technical Reviewers:: G Kiyingi, A
this issue. Tel. 031-262030/1 Editor: C Watson Writers: S Amumpe, P Jacovelli, R Kabuleta