Forest Fire Fund
Forest Fire Stats
138M
Hectares
From 2001-2023, global forest cover loss from wildfire surpassed 138 million hectares.
Forest Fire Dashboard, Global Forest Watch
2X
More
Forest Fires now burn nearly 2X more tree cover than 20 years ago.
The Latest Data Confirms: Forest Fires Are Getting Worse, World Resources Institute
11.9M
Hectares
In 2023, 11.9 million hectares of tree cover were lost to fire, making it the most severe year on record.
Forest Fire Dashboard, Global Forest WatchWhy Support the Forest fire Fund?
Support Natural Regeneration
Forest fires are increasing in size and intensity, and more fires every year are severely degrading natural ecosystems, making healthy ecosystem recovery unlikely. After a severe fire, planting trees can help catalyze the natural recovery process, facilitating the return of healthy forest structure that can support a variety of life.
Foster Ecosystem Resilience
Severe forest fires induce a cascade of negative effects that compromise the integrity of ecosystems. Burned areas are highly vulnerable to future threats such as colonization by invasive species, insect and disease outbreaks, flooding and soil erosion, and future high severity fires. Planting native trees can facilitate the return of healthy, biodiverse forests that are more resilient against future threats.
Restore Wildlife Habitat
Today, forest and grassland animal and plant communities have never been more exposed to severe wildfire. These catastrophic fire events induce widespread tree mortality, resulting in reduced biodiversity and extensive habitat loss for wildlife — including many threatened and endangered species. Reforestation can facilitate the regeneration of critical habitat for the species that depend on forests.
Planting Trees For Forest Fire Recovery
One Tree Planted’s Forest Fire Fund supports reforestation as part of active post-fire management strategies. In addition to facilitating healthy ecosystem recovery, reforestation can reduce vulnerability to future disturbances — including wildfires, insect infestations, and disease outbreaks.
When planting trees, everything from the best tree species for the local environment to the distance between trees and the exact location where they are planted is carefully considered. This is to prevent invasive species from colonizing burn scars, while restoring multi-layered wildlife habitat and increasing ecosystem resilience. For example, carefully planning stand density (the amount of trees in a specific area) can help reduce the spread of pathogens and diseases.
Planting trees doesn’t just safeguard ecosystems against future threats. It can also help combat one of the most immediate consequences of forest fires: soil erosion. Fires consume the organic matter and litter layer that shield and nurture soil, inducing hydrophobicity (an inability to absorb water). Reforestation plays a critical role in soil conservation by minimizing sedimentation, preventing erosion, and fostering a diverse vegetation community that will stabilize soils over time.
Forest fires are increasingly larger and more intense due to climate change and historic land management — and as a result, more fires are severely degrading ecosystems. Our Forest Fire Fund will plant trees to catalyze the natural recovery process in areas like those pictured on the globe.