Whether it's for environmental campaigns, birthdays or anniversary events for people or organizations, tree planting is a popular action in clueless and environmentally aware people. In a previous article, I went into the significance of trees in mitigation so as to justify afforestation.

Finding the right tree species to plant is quite challenging and dictates if tree planting targets are a success or a failure. The following are tips to help you decide which tree species to plant, where you desire.

To begin with, why are you planting? Is it for shade, beauty or climate action? The purpose of your planting should guide you to choosing a tree species with traits that suit your desired results. For instance, if the tree is to be planted for shade in humid tropical regions, Musizi tree ( Maesopsis eminii) would be suitable due to its umbrella-like crown that forms a sizeable shadow beneath it.

Next, consider your site for planting in terms of its soil conditions and climate. In case you already have a tree species in mind, how compatible is it with the type of soil in the site? How well does it grow under the long-term weather patterns of the site?

Favourable soil conditions are necessary for proper growth of the root system for that particular tree species. For instance, pine trees are believed to grow best in well drained sandy soils.

The tree species also needs to be adapted to survive in the site climatic conditions such that minimal costs and effort are spent on care. For example, jackfruit trees grows best under humid tropical climatic conditions.

You need to further examine the undesirable traits of the species and determine if they can be accommodated in the site.

Perhaps the easiest and least technical way to decide is to observe the trees already popularly growing and surviving well in the community where you wish to plant and choose the species whose traits you prefer. Then you can happily go choose the planting material.

References

Basic Theory and Methods of Afforestation By Jie Duan and Dilnur Abduwali

https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/75222

What Do Pine Trees Need to Survive?

https://sciencing.com/do-pine-trees-need-survive-6549613.html

Planting the Right Tree in the Right Place

https://agrilife.org/treecarekit/planting-tree-maintenance/planting-the-right-tree-in-the-right-place/