GIVE A GHAF

May 4, 2014

It’s no mystery that the Nordic Homeworx team loves trees. Kährs is one of the most – if not the most – sustainable wood flooring company in the world. And we wanted to be able to give back to our environment right here in the UAE, the place we call home. Think Global – Act Local! So on May 1, the Nordic Homeworx team made an excursion out to Al Barari’s beautiful Greenworks Nursery to plant 80 Ghaf tree seeds that we donated to the Give a Ghaf – Tree Planting Programme! Below are some pictures from our wonderful morning spent at the Greenworks Nursery for the next two years, until they are strong enough to be given back to UAE’s local community and donated to parks, schools or urban areas where natural shade and greenery are needed.

So what is a Ghaf Tree?
An indigenous species, specifically of the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia, the Ghaf is a drought – tolerant, evergreen tree which is, possibly, the sturdiest plant of the harsh desert environment In the UAE, it can be seen growing on low sand dunes, undulating sand sheets and along margins of gravel plains mostly in the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.

Today the Ghaf is being over-lopped and over-grazed to destruction. Ghaf groves are succumbing to urbanization and rapid infrastructure development. An accelerating decline in Ghaf trees and woodlands would imply a loss in cultural and biological heritage, and Goumbook wants to lead its conservation by giving the opportunity to plant the wild Ghaf and preserve its aesthetical, cultural and ecological significance. Goumbook has launched the “Give a Ghaf” program to encourage people plant Ghaf trees and help protect one of the world’s most valuable symbols of the living desert.

– Give a Ghaf Tree Planting Programme / www.giveaghaf.com

Images by Studio Zee