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.

The La Joya 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. Agroforestry species planted include amongst others, Cacao, Caoba, Copoazu, Bobinsana, Guanabana, Camu camu, Achiote, Vainilla, Café, Piña, Mango, Palta, Lucma & Yuca.

In Ingung Kapia, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we plant native tree species on degraded soils to restore biodiversity and create meaningful employment for local communities through manual planting work. Since we began in 2022, our reforestation program has taken on the challenge of restoring the natural environment and preventing further desertification of the region. Looking ahead, our long-term vision includes well-considered forest management, designed to relieve pressure on DR Congo's precious old-growth jungle. Our planting target is 1,000 trees per hectare at survival, achieved by initially planting 1,250 trees per hectare to account for natural loss. The species mix is intentionally diverse, combining native forest trees to support soil recovery and ecological resilience. The full list of species planted includes: Millettia laurentii (Wenge) Cassia siamea & Cassia floribunda Pentaclethra macrophylla (Owes) Piptodeniastrum africanum (Osing) Hevea brasiliensis Uapaca mole (Ontang) Canarium schweinfurtii (Mbidi) Prioria balsamifera (Mwana Mpembe) Ricinodendron heudelotii (Ongiel) Erythrophleum gabonensis (Onkok) Guibourtia demeusei (Ladzum) Paramacrolobium coelucum (Obwar Osur) Prioria oxyphylla (Tshitola) Pterocarpus soyauxii (Padouk) Ceiba pentandra (Obel) Milicia excelsa (Mulundu) Leplaea cedrata Pachira aquatica (Nguba Mindele) Staudtia kamerunensis Ongokea gore (Ndeke) Acacia auriculiformis Acacia mangium Maesopsis eminii Gilbertiodendron dewevrei (Labong) Dacryodes normandii Celtis tessmannii Pycnanthus angolensis Nauclea diderrichii Pericopsis elata (Afromosia) Millettia drastica Coffea arabica & Coffea robusta Autranella congolensis Entandrophragma gabonense (Tiama Blanc) Khaya grandifoliola Treculia africana Combretum welwitschii Afzelia bipindensis Millettia versicolor (Ablo) Olong Obol Mbem Dileka Nkokoking The full reforestation plot spans 52.5 hectares. We began planting in 2022, and by the end of 2024 the entire plot was fully funded, a milestone we are incredibly proud of. This work is made possible by a dedicated team of 150 day laborers (136 men and 14 women) from the local community, ensuring that forest restoration directly translates into livelihoods and long-term investment in the land by the people who depend on it most.