WHAT IS AN ARBORETUM?
Exhibition of trees and plants that is alive and breathes the air we breathe
Tree and plant collection that teaches us about the nature around us
Quiet and green space that gives peace to those that enter
“Go to place” for all things related to trees in Zambia
Place where indigenous trees and shrubs are protected and celebrated.
WHY HAVE AN ARBORETUM?
Chifwema Arboretum provides the space for trees and other plants to grow where they are protected, nurtured and conserved.
There are so many amazing stories about the botanical world, which Chifwema Arboretum hopes to start to tell. From the smallest flower to the mighty Baobab - everything has stuff to tell us.
HOW WE ESTABLISHED THE ARBORETUM
25 acres of privately-owned land has been set aside for about 30 years. During that time, over 100 species of trees and plants have grown up or have been planted.
About 100 trees are labelled.
In 2023, Chifwema Arboretum qualified for Level 1 ArbNet.
WHAT WILL I FIND?
1 WALKING TRAILS and PICNIC SITES
The map shows the trails, which are numbered and the picnic sites. You can download a map using the QR code at the entrance.
2 INFORMATION BOARDS
There are information panels about trees and shrubs and their biology. Currently (2023) the boards are “work in progress”, but we will eventually have information boards and QR codes giving more detail on the following:
1. Plant parts and their roles
Roots and their structures and functions
The component structures of the stem and bark
Branches and branchlets (tree form) and their roles
Leaves, simple and compound leaves and leaf structures
Flowers and their structures and variation of form
Seeds, their structure, variations and function
2. Plant environment
The sun and solar radiation
The soil as a structural and nutrient medium
Soil water and where it is
Geology, geochemistry and their effects on where plants live and their preferences
3. Seeds
Seed dispersal mechanisms
Seed germination and growing mediums
Seedling establishment and survival risks
4. Plant growth
Plant growth mechanisms
Seasonality factors
Growth rates and affecting factors
5. Plant communities
Forms of plant association
Physiognomy
Floristic composition
Evolutionary and adaptation implications
Zambia’s main vegetation groups
6. Plant-soil relationships
Water and nutrient flows
Plant-soil relationships
Mycorrhiza and fungi
7. Plant-water relationships
Plant-water relationships
Access to water
Transpiration and plant water controls
The importance of plants in the hydrological cycle
8. Gas and nutrient cycles
Plants and control of oxygen and carbon dioxide flows
Leaf litter and micro-faunal relationships
Plant-related nutrient cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium
9. Communication
Plant-to-plant communication below the ground
Plant-to-plant communication through the air
10. Flowering and fruiting
Flowering and fruiting processes
Monoecious and dioecious plants
Evolutionary roles of flowering and fruiting
“Mother trees”
11. Plant-animal relationships
Plant-animal relationships in seed distribution
Plant-animal relationships and browse discouragement strategies
Plant-animal relationships in habitat cycles
12. Plant senescence
Plant die-off and causes
The roles of dead wood
13. Environmental dynamics
Fire impacts
Fire climax vegetation
Drought and its impact on plant growth, plant communities and fire risk
The role of plants in soil conservation (wind, rainfall, surface sun-off)
14. Plants in past and future climates
Climate change in the past (glaciation and pluvials)
Vegetation dynamics in the past in response to climate changes
Greenhouse gases, global warming and its causes
Climate change and its possible impacts on to-day’s vegetation groups and their distribution
The role plants can play in addressing global warming
3 EDUCATION ARBORETUM
LORAX AND TRUFFALOES
We are developing a trail for children based on the Lorax, the Dr Suess story about the plight of the environment. In the children’s book, the Lorax, the main character, "speaks for the trees" and confronts the Onceler, a business magnate who cuts down all the trees and causes environmental destruction.
Try out the huge swings and swing under the tree canopy.
See if you can find your way through the maze.
Discover the geology of Zambia. We hope to develop a geological display of the Rocks of Zambia.
We hope also to host a play for all ages related to conservation and the environment.
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