Reforestation
creating change as a community
Mission
Our mission is to give back to the forest by planting trees and to create more opportunities for community members to connect through land restoration work.
Why plant trees?
Trees give us so much. We have the chance to give back by helping to ensure the future is full of forests.
Trees and forests are absolutely essential to all life on earth.
Trees create oxygen, sequester carbon, and create habitats for animals, plants, and fungi. They protect water and nutrient cycles, soil, and biodiversity.
Reforestation addresses a wide range of environmental challenges, while simultaneously creating an opportunity to strengthen community connections.
how we plant trees
and why that matters
It matters how we reforest. Though planting trees is one of the easiest ways we can create long-term and large-scale change in our environment, it's still hard work!
We want the saplings we plant to survive. And not just survive - we want each tree to live out its complete life cycle. There are many elements that are out of our control and not all the saplings we plant will grow to maturity, but through our efforts and methods, we hope to give them the best chances possible.
We consider every step of the tree's life cycle, from the beginning, to what happens to these trees in 20, 50, and 100 years. That is the reason we work so closely with our community and specifically the youth of our community. To ensure that there are people who will continue to care about and protect these trees long into the future.
We are intentional every step of the way.
We work on a small scale, closely collaborating with community members. The more people who participate in the planting process, the more people will be invested in the long term well being of these trees.
To effectively reforest, we have to think with a long-term perspective.
Sapling Species
We take into account land history, surrounding species, and any relevant near-by reforestation data, to carefully create a diverse species list that takes into account the needs of the land and that will hopefully create the optimal conditions for a healthy forest to return.
Strategic Planting
We get to know the land we are planting on and take into account slope, water, soil, and surrounding vegetation to determine specifically where each tree species will grow best. We then clear those areas and dig holes where the saplings will go, making sure they are evenly distributed.
Care and Research
Once the saplings are planted they are visited regularly and cared for. Any encroaching plants are cleared away and the growth of each species is monitored to help us improve our planting strategies in future projects. Care of the saplings continues for the first few years of their life.
past projects:
Learn about our 2021 reforestation project!
