A tree is a tall plant that can live for a very long time. It has a single stem or trunk and branches that support leaves. Beneath the ground, a tree has a root system that acts as an anchor and stores the water and nutrients the plant needs to grow.

Before planting a tree in your garden, please contact your local garden centre for advice. Check if they are able to test a sample of your soil in order to advise on suitable types of tree.

Below are suggestions for trees that you can plant:

• Apple Tree
• Plum Tree
• Cherry Tree
• Pear Tree
• Winter Hardy Palm Tree
• Acer trees – Japanese maples and Canadian maples
• Flamingo Willow tree

On the occasion of Bhagawan’s 97th Birthday (in 2022), The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust along with the Sri Sathya Sai Global Council launched, in the Divine presence of Bhagawan, a unique initiative called ‘Sri Sathya Sai Prematharu’ with the goal to plant 10 million trees worldwide as an offering to Bhagawan for His centenary birthday celebrations.

The Sri Sathya Organisation has taken the project by its roots, as it were, and is fully supportive of this programme as we believe that it is our individual and personal responsibility to do so.

There are opportunities to be involved individually, as a centre, or as a region. A number of regions have already been taking strides in initiating this project in their areas. We can plant trees that will benefit our planet either in our gardens, or by working with various organisations such as the Wildlife Trust, National Trust and local councils to name but a few.

By getting the Bal Vikas children involved, it will teach them about the importance of Mother Nature. They will be able to monitor their trees’ growth over the years and tell stories to their children about how they were involved in this wonderful project.

As we plant our trees individually, we need to keep a record as an organisation and keep track of the number of trees we have planted through the Sri Sathya Sai Prema Tharu website.

We need to make sure that we capture a picture of our tree and upload it to this international website – www.sssprematharu.org

We also need to keep track of how many trees we have planted in the UK. You can do this by passing details of any tree planting activities to your Centre/Group President or Centre/Group Service Coordinator who can log details with the Regional Service Coordinator.

Click the button below for signing up instructions for the Prema Tharu website – www.sssprematharu.org 

Things to consider:

• Please take responsibility for your own health and safety
• Conditions can sometimes be wet, slippery or frosty so ensure you wear appropriate footwear and clothing (wellington boots are suggested as footwear to navigate slippery surfaces)
• Be aware of what is going on nearby as other conservation activities may also be taking place
• You may also be working with volunteers from other organisations
• Children should always be accompanied by responsible adults
• When registering for the event, please ensure you have all the information to hand to help you plan ahead and make the most of the activity