Planted Profile: A Q&A with One Tree Planted
One Tree Planted is one of the most impactful non-for-profit organizations working to save our environment, and they're doing it through simplest of means: trees.
From the beginning of our partnership with One Tree Planted, it was clear that our tree-planting partners are doing so much more than helping us offset carbon emissions. Their work's impact is vast and immediate – yielding social and environmental benefits such as providing clean air and water, protecting biodiversity, and creating jobs around the globe.
Freight Club sat down, Rolling Stone-style, with the fantastic folks at One Tree Planted to get the details on all the incredible work they're doing across the globe and for our members.
The following answers were provided by One Tree Planted.
[Q] Forests are far away from where many of us live – how does the impact made in the forest locations affect our inhabited environments (ie. The city)?
[A] So many ways! Even if you don't live near a forest, the trees in cities also have many benefits. Forests that surround cities are the source for watersheds that provide clean drinking water to urban residents. Without trees and their vital filtering capacity, your water source is compromised. Trees also clean the air and sequester carbon and play an essential role in the overall water cycle to create rain. When you have forests and trees in the city, they help reduce energy costs and lower summer temperatures to minimize heatwaves. Beyond that, having forested areas near cities is priceless for recreation and mental health.
[Q] How did One Tree Planted choose the forest locations that they plant in? Is the land protected?
[A] These decisions are based on many factors. Some factors are: where an environmental disturbance has occurred, where we have the resources and local partnerships to execute a successful project, where we see a multi-dimensional potential for impact benefit (such as one that will support nature, people, and wildlife), and where we have opportunity to align donor funding. Our projects can occur on either public or private land and typically have a maintenance or conservation plan for at least three years.
[Q] Tell us about the team - who plants the trees? Why would someone get involved?
[A] The trees are planted by different types of people, depending on the region and project type. Teams can include professional tree planters, the general environmental staff at the local level, farmers, or community volunteers. For example, agroforestry projects, which are common in parts of Africa and Latin America, are often planted by farmers because the trees are being integrated into their agricultural lands to help restore the area and/or provide ecological value and a social impact. In the US, we work with local conservation organizations and the USFS, which has professional forestry staff. Then, of course, we have volunteer events so anyone can get involved in their local community tree plantings.
[Q] Are areas that have experienced fires at risk for experiencing more destruction? Why is it important to keep planting in these areas?
[A] Unfortunately, after a forest fire, one of the biggest concerns is erosion. If the soil is left bare, it can be further damaged from storms because there is nothing to hold the soil in place. It can erode and create flooding downslope of the area, sometimes causing considerable damage to homes and other infrastructure. This also further extends the time it would take for a site to recover environmentally. Some other negative impacts include a loss of biodiversity and the proliferation of invasive species. What was once a thriving forest could instead just grow scrubby plants of lower ecological value. This ultimately means wildlife can't live there and that the landscape is not sequestering as much carbon as it otherwise could. That is why planting trees - with native species only, and in fire smart ways to account for the potential of future fires - will significantly help the landscape begin to recover. This, coupled with some wildlife returning, ultimately helps re-establish the forest ecosystem and related environmental and climate effects.
[Q] In your opinion, what's the greatest benefit of trees?
[A] I could never choose just one! They are just so incredibly important, which is why we have six main pillars. Our six main pillars are Air, Water, Biodiversity, Social Impact, Health, and Climate. As you know from your carbon offsetting initiative, trees absorb pollutants in the air like CO2, ozone, nitrogen oxides, the list goes on. They also prevent water pollution and play a key role in capturing rainwater and reducing natural disasters like floods and landslides. They are home to numerous species and are providers of both food and shelter. Trees create numerous jobs both in agriculture and in logging (sustainably). They give us incredible health benefits – reducing stress and anxiety as we connect with nature. And, of course, they help reverse the effects of climate change by sucking in and storing greenhouse gases.