Charles Kuhn and Andre Wentzel on a mission to plant thousands of indigenous trees in Kingfisher Park

In their efforts to fight the catastrophic effects of climate change and global warming, two Fourways residents – Charles Kuhn and André Wentzel have embarked on a mission to plant indigenous trees in Kingfisher Park.

In 2014, Kuhn started planting trees in the park with the aim of giving back to the next generation and make the park the best place for residents to walk and have a picnic.

In 2018, he was joined by Wentzel who offered to help him accomplish his dream of planting thousands of indigenous trees in the park that is used by local residents to walk their dogs and enjoy some time out.

Kuhn said that the park used to be an open field with tall grass that often gets burnt because no one cared. “In 2004, one resident decided to have that open field fenced so that people can walk their dogs to avoid them being knocked down by cars in the road. I realised that the park was a desert with no trees in it and I decided to take some from my house and plant them in this park.”

At the time when Wentzel joined Kuhn, they managed to plant more than 70 Afrocarpus falcatus (yellowwood) trees.

“I know that I will not live long enough to enjoy the shade and have a picnic under these trees but the next generation will definitely do. I want to plant as many indigenous trees as I can in order to help future generations enjoy living on this planet,” Kuhn said.

Wentzel said coming to the park every Tuesday to prune and water the trees was an offering he could give to the planet. He said it pained him to see trees being cut off and exported to make profit. “We need to encourage people to plant more trees. Trees are the source of life because they provide us with much-needed oxygen every day,” Wentzel said.