Plant a Tree Day 2021: Community Reforestation, Global Impact

54 volunteers (40 adults and 14 youth) worked together to plant 2,500 native treesacross two degraded sites in Uganda's Mpanga Forest Reserve (located in the Mpigi district south of Kampala).The trees planted will help control soil erosion, increase the area bird population,improve water quality within a nearby wetland, and more! The local community will benefit from improved access to clean water,and local nurseries were supported and encouraged by the project.

This event was particularly special as it brought together different youth led organizations and social enterprises, all of whom are passionate about environmental conservation. They were joined by the director of the Uganda branch of the Jane Goodall Institute, who inspired the volunteers to maintain their spirit of environmentalism.

20 volunteers (15 adults and 5 youth) worked together to plant 15 native, 30-gallon oak treesat Kaley Square Park, a popular community park in a low-income area of Orlando, FL. In addition to planting the trees, the volunteers worked in an on-site pollinator garden, planting pollinator-friendly flowers, weeding, and distributing seed bombs loaded with native seeds.

These native oak trees will sequester carbon, increase the shade cover of the park, decrease the community impact ofrising global temperatures, and more. The pollinator garden will improve the park's pollinator insect populations and therefore increase the biodiversity and ecological health of the overall space. 

In Spring Hill, Tennessee, 3 volunteers came together to plant 200 bare-root seedlingsalong Tennessee's Grass Branch Creek in an effort to expand and enhance the riparian zone. Healthy riparian zones play an instrumental role in watershed health by reducing the amount of sediment and nutrient pollution entering creeks through stormwater runoff, controlling the rate of erosion, decreasing flood velocity downstream, creating habitat for biodiversity, and more!

In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 13 volunteers planted 110 native trees and shrubsas part of an ongoing native pollinator garden project. The purpose of the planting was to restore native wildlife habitat that has been overtaken by invasive species. The species planted will provide habitat and an early spring food source for local wildlife, sequester carbon over time, and more! 

In addition to providing an opportunity for visitors to experience nature, our partners installed educational signage outlining the importance of pollinators, what people can do to help them, and elements of a good native pollinator garden. This makes for a rich, interactive educational resource for the local community.