Reforestation Projects:

The December 2020 Update

Meaghan Weeden | January 5, 2021 | 3 min read

Starting off Strong in the New Year

It's officially 2021 and we have so much to share with you, but first let's talk about what we accomplished last year. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, we were able to plant over 10 million trees via 80 plantings in 25 countries spanning 6 continents around the world. We're proud of what we accomplished together with our amazing partners and donors. And we're already off to a great start in 2021, with 13.5 million trees committed to be planted throughout the year!

Here's Our December 2020 Reforestation Update!

Want to Learn More About the Projects We Featured This Month?

Off of Guatemala's southern Pacific coast, we've partnered with the Rainforest Alliance to plant 90,000 red mangrove trees and restore 45 hectares of the Manchón Guamuchal mangrove forest. These forests are threatened by illegal logging, deforestation, pollution, and damaging diversion dams. Planting trees here will restore wildlife habitat, improve coastal stability, protect local communities from extreme weather events, and preserve the livelihoods of local fishermen and tourism professionals. 

In Peru's Tambopata National Reserve, Bahuaja-Sonene National Park, and the “buffer zone” adjacent to these parks, our amazing partner AIDER will be planting 150,000 trees as part of a multi-year project to plant 323,996 trees. These forests are threatened by deforestation and degradation due to unsustainable agricultural practices. By working with local farmers to establish sustainable agroforestry, this project will help conserve primary forests, restore degraded land, and protect biodiversity.

In Ghana's Western Region, our partner Goshen Global Vision just finished distributing over 34,000 seedlings to individual farmers to plant on their farms and throughout their local communities. This region has been profoundly affected by oil and gas-driven deforestation, rubber plantations, and rapid urbanization, which has reduced available farmland, degraded soil fertility, and increased flooding and droughts. As they grow, these trees will enhance biodiversity, improve the soil and environment, and provide food and income for the local farming community. 

In California , we have three new projects aiming to help the environment recover from historic forest fires. These trees will be planted in the Angeles National Forest, San Bernardino National Forest, and Sonoma and Mendocino counties, where iconic redwoods will be planted on 50,000 acres of land. 

And finally, you asked for a deep dive on our Orca project, which we were all happy to provide! This will be our second year of planting trees throughout the Pacific Northwest region to protect the endangered Southern Resident orca, of which only 74 remain. Threatened by the collapse of chinook salmon stocks, they migrate north and south along the Pacific coast, feeding on salmon coming downstream from rivers and streams that flow into the ocean — in fact, salmon make up around 80% of their diet. To rebuild the Orca's food supply, we're planting trees along over 50 rivers and watersheds ranging from Northern California to British Columbia

Thanks for tuning in to our update, we'll see you next month! Miss us already? Check out our Youtube channel for more awesome videos. And don't forget, we have plenty of other awesome tree planting projects like these. Choose where your trees are planted today!

Longleaf Pine Main Image
Longleaf Pine Restoration
Longleaf Pine Tree Planter
Plant Trees Where They're Needed Most
Longleaf Pine Landscape
Longleaf Pine Planting
Longleaf Pine Main Image
Longleaf Pine Restoration
Longleaf Pine Tree Planter
Plant Trees Where They're Needed Most
Longleaf Pine Landscape
Longleaf Pine Planting

Plant Trees Where They're Needed Most

As the need for reforestation is global and ever-changing, we feature where trees are most needed now. This project is currently supporting Longleaf Pine Restoration. Learn more

With your help, we will:

  • Protect wildlife habitat and increase biodiversity
  • Restore essential watersheds for soil stability and erosion control
  • Sequester carbon in the biomass of the forests through climate stability
  • Longleaf pine forests are among the most biodiverse in North America and provide habitat for numerous threatened and endangered species. Longleaf pine forests are well-adapted to a warming climate as longleaf pine is a resilient species that is fire-dependent, drought-tolerant, and long-lived. Reforestation of longleaf pine ecosystems- to increase, maintain, and enhance the species- has been identified as a priority area within America's Longleaf Range Wide Conservation Plan. 🌲
  • Our longleaf pine reforestation project will restore habitats, control soil erosion, and sequester carbon in an effort to stabilize the climate in the area. Not only will wildlife benefit from the clean air and water provided by the planted trees, but the surrounding community will, too. This project will work with a variety of landowners whose responsible forest management and stewardship will only further increase the benefits for species residing on the lands. Some of the most notable species that will benefit from habitat restoration include gopher tortoises, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and eastern indigo snakes
  • A personalized tree certificate (see gallery) to say thanks for your donation. We'll also send you updates about our Longleaf Pine Restoration project, so you can track the impact your trees are having on the ground!
  • We always plant a mix of diverse, native species from local nurseries. This project is working to replenish longleaf forests, so the native species grown in the nurseries will mainly be longleaf pine, but also include shortleaf pine and loblolly pine.

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