Planting Trees to Benefit Ecosystems and Communities Across the Globe 

As the holidays rapidly approach, we're closing out and gearing up on some incredible projects across the globe. From wrapping up a 1 million tree planting in southwest Western Australia to beginning the planting of 950,000 trees in Brazil, we're so excited to share our November 2021 Reforestation Update! As always, tune in below to hear more from our awesome forest Ambassadors Kyleigh and Nicole!

Here's Our November 2021 Reforestation Update:

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

In southwest Western Australia, we wrapped up our planting of 1,000,000 trees to restore 540 hectares of land across several farms located in the Frankland, Gordon and Pallinup Catchment areas, as well as repairing the buffer zone around Stirling Range National Park. With extraordinary plant species richness and over 50% endemism (found nowhere else on earth), this region is an internationally recognized top 25 Biodiversity Hotspot. Many of these species hail from prehistoric times as the region has been unglaciated for more than 250 Million years, evolving to persist in arid climates on ancient, highly weathered, infertile soil. 

The trees planted here will restore habitat, conserve biodiversity, repair riparian zones and repair important wildlife corridors in an area that has been devastated by bushfires and development. In addition to the many environmental benefits, the project has benefited the local community by creating jobs and income — and involved the indigenous Noongar people every step of the way.

In Hawaii's Mauna Kea Forest Reserve, we wrapped up an 8 month long project that planted 40,000 trees and shrubs to restore 100 hectares of degraded land. The trees planted will benefit threatened and endangered native biodiversity by expanding habitat for 6 native bird species and 15 plant species — and will specifically restore critical habitat for the endangered Palilal and Akiapolaau bird species.

The project will serve as a model for landscape-level habitat restoration efforts statewide, and provide educational benefits through extensive community involvement. The restoration methods being developed at these sites have applications to other sites across the Hawaiian Islands. 71 women and 36 youth participated in the project throughout the year. 

We've begun planting 100,000 trees on 30 sites across the Alentejo, Central, Lisbon and Algarve areas of Portugal as part of the Free Trees for Portugal Project, which aims to reduce desertification, restore deforested areas, revitalize native ecosystems and empower local communities to restore their environment.

With local ecology experts in each region, this project takes into account the full-range of wildlife protection, rebuilding biodiversity in each unique biosphere by planting species like Cork Oak, which benefits the whole ecological web. This initiative is designed to have cascading benefits, including natural, social, financial and inspirational returns. The trees planted will restore water tables, prevent further soil erosion and degradation, create carbon sinks in the soil, and create a thriving ecosystem where native fauna can take refuge. 

We've begun planting for our 950,000 tree project in Brazil's Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.This project pursues one clear objective: planting indigenous trees on a massive scale to help realize the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, which will become the longest of all nature corridors on earth and one of South America's largest  reforestation projects. 

Its scope is astonishing, with a total length of 2,600 kilometres and a width of up to 40 kilometres situated alongside the riverbanks of the entire Araguaia river. The Corridor connects two of the world’s most vital ecosystems: the Amazon rainforest and the Cerrado savanna. The trees planted here will create incredible ecological benefits, including absorbing and storing carbon, controlling erosion, improving water quality, preventing forest fires, protecting the ocean and coral reefs by reducing sedimentation outflows, protecting a vast range of biodiversity, including vital medicinal plants, and more. 

In addition to providing powerful ecological benefits, this project will benefit local communities with improved water quality, increased water supply, enriched soil for famers, protection of indigenous reserves, and direct economic benefits in the form of employment. The local communities will have the opportunity to participate via seed collection, tree nursery care, building structures (fences, nurseries), preparing areas for reforestation, planting seedlings, distributing seeds and maintenance. 

Thanks for tuning in to our update, we'll see you next month! Miss us already? Check out the One Tree Planted Youtube channel for more awesome videos. And don't forget: we have plenty of other awesome tree planting projects like these. Support reforestation today!