As part of our ongoing efforts to maximize the impact of our initiatives, we have decided to allocate 50% of the funds for Tanzania to reforestation efforts with native tree species, while the remaining 50% is allocated to supporting agroforestry tree planting within the local communities’ farms. Agroforestry integrates trees and shrubs into agricultural landscapes, promoting sustainable farming practices that increase crop yields, improve soil health, and provide additional income sources for local farmers. By supporting both reforestation and agroforestry, we ensure a comprehensive approach that addresses environmental sustainability, food security, and economic development within the community. In the rainy season of November 2024, our local team and the local people of Nkundei village planted 2,258 fruit trees in the individual-owned farms in the Nkundei community.

The Magamba Nature Forest Reserve has suffered several wildfires which were caused by human economic activities, such as local honey harvesting practices and the search for fuel wood. The reserve is important for biodiversity conservation, enhancing eco-tourism, and the water supply of many villages. This project is going to be conducted at Nkundei Village which is among the 21 villages surrounding the Magamba Nature Forest Reserve. Starting in November 2024, a total of 5,325 new native trees are planted with the aim of restoring the loss of biodiversity and regaining the nature of the Magamba Nature Forest Reserve. We are planting more than 11 different indigenous tree species to introduce as much diversity as possible. The trees will be maintained and monitored for 5 years and every tree that dies within this period will be replaced by a new one. The most important maintenance activity is the clearing of ferns!

In Baltimori, Peru, one of the activities is enrichment planting in secondary forest, areas where only a few tree species have taken hold as part of the forest's own survival strategy after disturbance. Enrichment planting speeds up the return of tree species that are useful for human needs, including endangered species, and brings a broader range of biodiversity back into the landscape sooner than natural regeneration alone would. The site covers 8.41 hectares in total, made up of two non-contiguous, nearby areas of 2.73 and 5.68 hectares respectively. "Enrichment strips" is a commonly used term in restoration and silviculture literature, referring to rows of high-value trees planted within fallows, degraded areas, or secondary forests. In Camino Verde's case, these strips are planted within secondary forests that are 10 to 25 years old. This land was previously farmed by the site's former owner for bananas, corn, rice, and cassava, sold at the local market. Slashed and burned for farming and then left to grow back, these forests are now a couple decades old and already have a somewhat closed canopy, made up of a few predominant pioneer species native to the region, such as balsa wood (Ochroma pyramidale) and cetico (Cecropia sp.). These native pioneer species are very effective at building up organic matter to rebuild soils. They are also short-lived, with a maximum lifespan of 30 to 50 years, so as they grow old, their understory is naturally repopulated with a greater diversity of tree species, dispersed by birds, bats, and tree-dwelling mammals. Planting enrichment strips in this environment can be thought of as speeding up natural ecological succession, so that a greater diversity of species is present sooner, and the secondary forest transitions to a high-diversity primary forest faster than it otherwise would. This would ordinarily take 100 to 200 years. Our enrichment planting directly increases the presence of endangered species in the secondary forest. Alongside this ecological diversification, enrichment planting also enriches the forest in the economic sense, bringing more valuable species into the landscape sooner. Planting within secondary or degraded forest keeps maintenance costs relatively low, requiring only one or at most two weedings per year, since weeds grow more vigorously in full sun and the existing canopy limits that. At the same time, that same canopy leads to a higher death rate among planted seedlings, since branches frequently fall on them from above. Best practice for this planting system is therefore a high planting density. The planting strips are spaced 5 or 10 meters apart, are 1 to 1.5 meters wide, and are hand-cleared of undergrowth with machetes. Trees are planted along the rows every 0.5 meters, giving a planting density of 4,000 trees per hectare where strips are spaced every 5 meters, or 2,000 trees per hectare where strips are spaced every 10 meters. In some experimental rows, this density was increased further by planting in a zigzag pattern (locally called "tresbolillo") within the cleared strip, allowing for 1.5 times as many trees per row, or 3,000 to 6,000 trees per hectare. The process begins with seed collection in the surrounding forests. Once seeds have grown into seedlings, they are stored safely and go through a hardening process to improve their survival rate once planted. When the rainy season arrives, the seedlings are planted out into the forest. Between 2021 and 2022, 18,500 trees were planted in enrichment strips in the secondary forest with the help of Go Forest clients. Species include Canela Moena, Cacao, Quillusisa, Moena Naranja, Espintana, Huayo Blanco, Huasaí, Asaí, Ungurahui, Catahua, Bombonaje, and Caoba.

La Joya is Camino Verde's younger reforestation center, established in 2017, a decade after Camino Verde Baltimori was founded. The site hosts our technical partner's largest tree nursery, supplying seedlings to farmers, native communities, researchers, NGOs, government projects, and the local municipality for urban tree planting in Puerto Maldonado. La Joya produces over 100 tree species each year, with capacity for 100,000 seedlings at a time. It is also the main location for farmer-facing workshops on tree nursery management, agroforestry, and Melipona beekeeping, and offers paid internships to Indigenous women in native species propagation and integral nursery management. The demonstration areas at La Joya showcase native species diversity across both agroforestry and reforestation plots. Over 200 tree species have been registered on site, part of the Living Seed Bank program for the conservation and propagation of native species. This diversity is the result of years of restoration work. When our local partner took over the site, it showed the effects of decades of cattle farming: compacted soils, annual burning, and invasive exotic grass that choked out young trees. Rebuilding La Joya took sustained management. Even now, a significant share of the trees planted on site serve to rehabilitate the soil, generating organic matter quickly to support the rest of the planting. Between 2021 and 2026, 67401 trees were planted at La Joya with the help of Go Forest clients, through two approaches, agroforestry and reforestation, covering 167 species in total. Reforestation species planted include Palo brasil, Caoba, Tahuari amarillo, Huayo blanco, Tahuarí flor negro, Shihuahuaco, Bolaina, Espintana, Yacushapana, Shaena, Palisangre, Cedro, Pashaco, Puma quiro, Palo capitán, Quillabordon, Ajosquiro, Requia, Courbaril, Oreja negra, Capirona, Tornillo, Misa, and Quinilla.

This project is located in a private estate/park, called the Soeterbeek Estate, in the municipality of Nuenen (Eindhoven region). The estate is classified as a “monument” to be preserved in the Netherlands and has been handed down from generation to generation since its creation. A monastery was founded on this site by the Ursuline sisters around 1450. This remained so until the 1830s. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, the house was converted into a castle. The house burned down in the early twentieth century and in 1938, a new country house was built on the foundations of the older house. The trees and the plots, surrounded by the extending Dommel River, are in an aging condition and the domain should be renewed to be preserved. Two members of the family have decided to renew the estate to make it more ecologically sustainable and continue to provide its so-called official "green lungs" role identified by the city of Eindhoven. We have visited the project with the owner at the end of January 2024 and we are convinced that this owner deserves to be helped, technically and financially, to manage this relevant project. In total, 2500 trees are planted: 1500 trees in a plantation (0.3 hectares) and 1000 trees (100 sqm) in a hedge formation along the vegetable garden. It is a beautiful project that makes the area greener, sequestrates carbon, and supports biodiversity in the region. FOREST SPECIES Field Maple 2.25% Alder 5.62% Hornbeam 10.11% Cornelian Cherry 4.49% Hazel 2.25% Medlar 2.25% Black Poplar 6.74% Bird Cherry 5.62% Blackthorn 2.25% Pedunculate Oak 6.74% Buckthorn 2.25% Alder Buckthorn 4.49% Glandular Hedge Rose 2.25% Dog Rose 2.25% Hedge Rose 2.25% Sweet Briar 2.25% Felted Rose 2.25% Crack Willow 10.11% Elder 4.49% Small-Leaved Lime 8.99% European White Elm 5.62% Guelder Rose 4.49% HEDGE SPECIES Beech (3-year-old) 12.50% Hornbeam 18.75% Small-Leaved Lime 3.13% Pedunculate Oak 3.13% Redcurrant 6.25% Cornelian Cherry 18.75% Common Hawthorn (Single-Styled) 12.50% Field Maple 12.50% Alder Buckthorn 6.25% Blackcurrant 6.25% Plantation update: - Planting date: Both sites were planted between October and November 2024. - 2,500 trees planted in total: 1,500 forest trees in a mixed native line planting (including white willow, hornbeam, linden, black poplar, English oak, black alder, bird cherry, elder, wych elm, and multiple rose and shrub species) and 1,000 hedge plants in double rows along the vegetable garden (beech, hornbeam, dogwood, hawthorn, field maple, red and black currant, linden, buckthorn, and oak). - Monitoring summary (November 2025): The recovery rate is 95% for the hedges and 85% for the forest. No biotic damage was recorded. Climatic factors have affected approximately 15% of trees, linked to the very wet conditions on site. A water collection system has since been installed to improve drainage and water management. Several bird species were heard on site. - Maintenance: Overall the plantation is performing well, and the hedges bordering the vegetable garden are doing particularly well.

In this project in Overijse, 5100 trees are planted for forest restoration and forest expansion. The restoration part exists out of removing trees that died because of bark beetle and planting a diversified mix of tree species instead. The project started around November 2022 and continues until the end of March 2023. The planting area is 2m x 2.5m. We will plant rows in the length of the plot, with a distance between rows of 2.5m, and in rows of 2m. This allows machine clearance with a tractor. The distance to the plot boundaries is 3m. There are two edges: The forest edge on the south side - we plant 3 rows wide and the rows will be planted in an arranged manner. The forest edge north side - we will plant 2 rows wide and the rows are planted in the shrubbery. In the middle, we plant large blocks with a mix of the main species: sessile oak and bilberry. These blocks consist of at least 200 trees per block. Sessile oak is planted mainly in the higher, somewhat drier areas; bilberry is planted mainly in the lower, damper areas. We will plant a mixture of tall trees between these large blocks with the main species of sessile oak and bilberry. These blocks consist of at least 50 trees of the same species. The tree species mix on the forest edges is planted in blocks of at least 5 to 10 trees of the same species each. Plantation updates: - Planting date: Trees were planted between fall 2022 and winter 2023. - 5100 trees planted: The plantation features a diverse mix of broadleaved trees and shrubs. 1450 Sessile oaks, 1450 Merits, 515 Hornbeams, 300 Beeches, 300 Small-leaved lindens, 125 European spindles, 75 Hawthorns, 75 Blackthorns, 125 Blood dogwoods, 35 Rosehips, 75 Alder buckthorns, 25 Wild apple trees, 65 Field maples and 65 Hazelnuts. - Monitoring summary: Monitoring conducted in September 2024 indicated that the plantation is growing well. The site is being actively maintained. However, part of the plot has experienced damage from rabbits. Replanting is scheduled for autumn 2024 to replace the affected trees. Natural regeneration has not yet been observed on site. - Maintenance: Manual clearance has been performed to support tree growth.

In this project in Okegem, we undertake an afforestation of a former agricultural plot of 3.22 hectares. We will plant at least 5000 trees during the season of 2024-2025. The tree species that will be used in the plantation include Sycamore maple, black alder, European hornbeam, Cornelian cherry, common dogwood, hazel, hawthorn, spindle, European beech, European ash, wild cherry, pedunculate oak, white willow, small-leaved lime, and large-leaved lime. This new forest will enhance the water cycle, soil protection, biodiversity protection and conservation, and carbon sequestration. In the case of afforestation of agricultural land, the reduction in inputs and the absence of heavy tillage can also be noted. In the coming years, the project can be extended.

The restoration project in Amblève is continuing and can be expanded to a total of 100,000 trees. Following last season’s interventions with 10,500 trees in 2023–2024 and 14,280 trees in 2024-2025, the same approach is being applied to strengthen forest resilience and diversity this season. The Amblève forest consists mainly of conifers, in particular spruce. At present, about 75% of the forest stands are spruce. Localized thinning helps prevent attacks on spruces that are weakened by competition for light. The objective is to gradually reduce the share of spruce to 50%. To achieve this, clear-cutting is avoided. Management is carried out through thinning and progressive canopy reduction, which irregularizes the stands and initiates assisted natural regeneration. Spruce requires a lot of light to grow well in its adult stage, which means little light reaches the forest floor. Natural regeneration is therefore limited, making external planting of young trees necessary. In the cleared patches, beech is planted. This species is well adapted to shaded conditions and is introduced at high density, as it tolerates competition well in its early years. This approach also protects the young trees against late frost and drought. In larger clearings, other species are introduced according to the conditions of each parcel. The long-term goal is to establish irregular stands with varied age classes, increasing resilience to unexpected events. The project takes place in a rural and agricultural region known for its extensive forest massifs and numerous trails, where hikers, riders and cyclists come to experience the rich nature around the Amblève river.

Want to give a gift that grows over time? Consider a physical tree that can be planted anywhere as a daily reminder of a growing, long-term collaboration. The shoots are protected by a gift box with a planting manual and a personalized message. You can gift Evergreen oak, English oak, European beech or Sugi.