Helping Hands at the MNS Urban Community Forest

PENCINTA ALAM AUGUST 2016
ECO KIDS COLUMN
HELPING HANDS AT THE MALAYSIAN NATURE SOCIETY URBAN COMMUNITY FOREST
By Wong Ee Lynn
<wongeelynn@yahoo.com / gl.mnselangor@yahoo.com>

"Take care of the land and the land will take care of you."
~ H. Bennett.

 

 

What if we told you that you didn't have to go on a long holiday to a place far away in order to help volunteer for a project that helps the environment? What if we told you that you could volunteer any weekend you please, and still have time for your other activities, tuition classes or music lessons after helping out for a few hours on a Saturday morning? What if we told you there is a place in the city where you can volunteer to help the environment and plant rainforest trees on Saturday mornings and learn more about trees, gardening and the environment? What if we told you there is a place in the city where your club, society, class or Scout/Guide troop can visit and volunteer and learn about trees and nature, without much hassle or expense?

 

At the MNS Urban Community Forest located at the Malaysian Nature Society Headquarters in Jalan Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur, you can do just that!

 

There is an ongoing initiative by our MNS Head of Conservation Mr. Balu Perumal to plant Merbau saplings from seed at a nursery set up at the MNS Urban Community Forest. Merbau trees are endangered due to logging and deforestation. The Merbau saplings grown at the MNS Urban Community Forest will be replanted in forest reserves, parks and other places upon request from schools, societies, and volunteers.

 

Planting over 5,000 seeds is a lot of work! Some trees will make it to adulthood. Some will not. The important thing is to keep planting as many as we can, in the best conditions possible to improve their chances of survival. Merbau trees need sunlight but not too much water. They do not grow well in soggy and muddy soil.

 

MNS Selangor Branch's Green Living Special Interest Group has been asking Mr. Balu for young trees to be replanted at the Kota Damansara Community Forest in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. So far we have replanted over 70 trees.

 

On 28th May 2016, Green Living held a "Give-Back Day" at the MNS Urban Community Forest to help Mr. Balu plant Merbau seeds and transplant Merbau saplings at the nursery to return the favour for all the lovely young trees he has given us. Mr. Balu plants the seeds and tends to the plants at the nursery every Saturday morning from 9.00 - 11.00 a.m.

 

Around 18 volunteers, including 5 schoolchildren and their dedicated teacher, Cikgu Aminah, and another 2 children accompanied by their father, Dr. Sanath, came to help us on Give-Back Day.

 

Merbau seeds look like pebbles, don't they? They are hard and need to be soaked before they can be planted. (Photo credits: Sunrise Seekers Sayli)

 

 

 

Very young Merbau seedlings. Don't they remind you of the giant beanstalk in 'Jack and the Beanstalk'? (Photo credits: Sunrise Seekers Sayli)

 

 

The schoolchildren admiring the pebble-like appearance of the Merbau seeds.

 

 

Mr. Balu explaining what we need to do for the day.

 

 

The Merbau saplings in the nursery are arranged according to the month they were planted. Some need more sunlight than others.

 

 

The cheerful young volunteers helped us move the 3-month-old saplings to another area where they can receive more sunlight, so that we can free up space for the new saplings we were about to transplant.

 

 

The children used spades to help break up and loosen the soil for better drainage, so that the tree roots can breathe and would not be waterlogged in heavy clumps of soil.

 

 

 

The children filled up each planting bag halfway through with soil and carried them to the adult volunteers, who had to carefully dig out each young plant and transplant them into the bags.

 

 

 

A group photo of some of the volunteers who had worked so hard all morning! Never underestimate the difference children can make! Little hands do important work, too!

 

If you would like to assist and volunteer, please contact the MNS office at 03-22879422 and ask for Mr. Balu.

 

The MNS Urban Community Forest and office is located at  JKR 641, Jalan Kelantan, Bukit Persekutuan, 50480 Kuala Lumpur.

 

If you or your parents are on Facebook, please visit and click 'Like' on  MNS Urban Community Forest's Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/MNS-Urban-Community-Forest-134370753634265/?fref=ts