One Tree Planted is a nonprofit that has made a big impact with reforestation projects. Here’s a look back over ten years.
There’s a famous quote- He that plants trees loves others besides himself. For the past decade, the nonprofit One Tree Planted has planted trees around the world, showing their love for the planet and the people who benefit from their reforestation projects- which happens to be all of us. Since 2014, the organization has planted over 135.5 million trees. This is thanks to the a collaboration with 378 partners across 82 countries who donate a portion of sales to plant one tree for every item sold.
Celebrating this decades-long impact, One Tree Planet is sharing its impact with the world to show how its commitment to restoring degraded landscapes, recovering habitats, and fostering socio-economic development is playing a role in harmoniously nurturing forests and ecologically balancing the world.
The Impact of Deforestation
“To be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots.” The roots of trees– in addition to the leaves, bark, and branches- store CO2 and act as a barrier against its release into the atmosphere that is driving climate change. Trees also provide us with the oxygen we need to breathe while cleaning the air from particulate matter (solid and liquid particles in the air).
Additionally, we couldn’t grow the food we eat without the roots and fallen leaves that help to nourish the soil with the nutrients we need for our food. Cutting down trees and removing their roots can lead to soil erosion and leave regions more vulnerable to flooding and water pollution. Even though we’re aware of the fact that trees are vital to our health and that of the planet, 10 million hectares of land are deforested every year exposing the planet to all of these negative impacts and more.
One Tree Planted Impact
The solution to deforestation is reforestation. One Tree Planted began as a bold idea to make reforestation simple and easy for anyone to be a part of tree planting projects. Since its first tree was planted in 2014, the nonprofit has made a steady blaze of positive impacts:
- Restored over 118,518 hectares (approximately 292,864 acres) of forest around the world.
- Restored forest habitat for thousands of threatened species.
- Helped increase food security and improve livelihoods in communities across five global regions by planting sustainable agroforests.
- Made 106 cities greener by planting urban trees for environmental justice and tree equity.
- Supported forest fire recovery in 31 countries across six global regions.
- …and so much more.
By protecting biodiversity, stabilizing the climate, and absorbing CO2, each of these tree-planting projects has a positive impact on the local communities and even those on the other side of the world by transforming degraded landscapes into seeds of budding forests.