This 0.75-ha restoration project is located in Coldenhove, Eerbeek. During the winter of 2023-2024, we plant 1200 new trees in rows and take into account natural regeneration. Another batch of trees is planted in the winter of 2024-2025, more specifically in January 2025. The seedlings are provided by Bosgroep and the tree species planted are chestnut trees, thuja, cedar, and Douglas fir. The previous stand was mainly composed of softwoods, such as spruce trees that were attacked by bark beetle. Afterward, only dead trees were left on the plot. In the past, the bark beetle mainly affected weak trees, which were unable to produce resins or other compounds to protect themselves from the insect. However, since climate change – and thus the increase in temperature – a great proliferation of the insect was triggered, and the spread of outbreaks affected a large part of European coniferous forests. Outbreaks of tree-killing bark beetles have reached unprecedented levels in conifer forests in the northern hemisphere and are expected to further intensify due to climate change. This event has once again highlighted the importance of having a diverse forest that is more resistant and resilient to disturbances. The main goal of this project is the restoration of the forest area through the plantation of a mix of species to promote the creation of a diverse and multifunctional forest. This forest should be able to face the effects of climate change and provide at the same time a wide range of ecosystem services in terms of biodiversity, wood, air and water purification, carbon storage, human health, etc. Planting updates: - Planting dates: A first planting phase took place between October 2023 and April 2024, followed by a second phase on 17 January 2025. 1,349 trees planted across 0.75 ha: The plantation includes 400 chestnuts, 400 thuja, 400 cedar, and 149 Douglas fir. The originally planned 2,200 Douglas fir were reduced to just 149, as natural Douglas fir regeneration was already well established on site. Work was carried out by local company Noest Forestry & Landscape Construction Tree Care. - Site context: The site was first cleared of dead trees, with branches chipped and left on the ground as organic matter to enrich the soil. Some chestnut seedlings experienced stress from waterlogging and grazing during the first phase, though conditions were good for the second planting. - Maintenance: Ongoing fern clearance is planned each summer for the next 2–3 years until the seedlings are sufficiently established, along with replanting of any losses.

In this project in Le Roeulx we plant 12,000 trees during the first months of 2024, with the majority of the trees planted in March 2024. On the 5.5-hectare plot, we mainly plant lines of chestnuts, oaks, maples, and walnuts. It is important to execute this project because the area is a very agricultural one with little afforestation. We are planting a diverse forest to preserve wildlife habitats and support the ecological and environmental benefits of the forest. Details: - Altitude of 118 meters. - The soil is loamy with favorable natural drainage or loamy with poor natural drainage. - The composition of the previous stand: ash trees. - The follow-ups of the trees are planned for April 2024 and summer 2025.

In Tintange, in the Belgian Ardennes, two monoculture spruce plots were badly hit by bark beetles between 2022 and 2025. The infested trees were removed, leaving 2.3 hectares largely bare. 6,090 trees will be planted during the 2026-2027 season to restore these plots. The site is challenging, with shallow, rocky soil and one plot on a very steep slope. Earlier trials with deciduous trees, notably oaks, showed a low survival rate, so the new forest is built around a mix of conifers suited to these conditions. Douglas fir and European larch are planted on the first plot (0.8 ha). A mix of Scots pine, Corsican pine and Koekelaere pine is planted on the steeper second plot (1.5 ha), with Norway spruce along the access paths. In the long term, the forest will be managed according to irregular, continuous forest cover principles

In Peru, the agroforestry project in cooperation with Camino Verde focuses on successional agroforestry (farming with trees). In successional agroforestry, you take into consideration not only the physical dynamics of a forest's shape (how trees grow with each other compatibly in space) but also the importance of the factor of time when designing your agroforestry system. Different species appear in the system (or disappear from the system) at different times. For example, in many successional agroforestry systems, annual or short-lived perennials (such as maize and bananas) are planted in the system at the beginning, later harvested, and then disappear from the system. Trees are planted at the beginning of the system's establishment, but other trees (especially shade-loving ones) are planted into the system later in its lifespan. In many of our agroforestry areas, we plant trees under the established canopy of trees that were planted back in the beginning of the system. Trees like cacao (Theobroma cacao) and huasaí (Euterpe precatoria) benefit from the forest-like conditions and do better when established in shade versus when established in a clear, open patch. As a result, we often plant trees in areas that already have some established trees, sometimes even 5- or 10-year-old trees as the canopy overhead. While many of the trees planted in the understory are relatively small (like cacao), others, like huasaí, grow up into the canopy eventually and are structurally compatible with interplanting among other trees. Huasaí is a palm tree and therefore always grows straight, never branching, allowing it to be placed in the system in a way that is harmonious with already established trees. In several areas, bananas are planted at the beginning of the system's life span. But these giant herbs are productive for only a few years and then are removed from the system. The gaps formerly occupied by the bananas are then planted with new trees, including large, long-lived species like Brazil-nut (Bertholletia excelsa).

Located near Urasar, in Lori province, the site spans 360 hectares at elevations ranging from 1,700 to 2,000 meters. With predominantly northern exposure and excellent soil quality, the site is ideally suited for establishing a rich, diverse forest. Our technical partner is aiming to plant 529,617 trees in this area, drawing on 13 species of broadleaf trees, including walnut, oak, wild apple, maple, and pine, alongside several native shrubs. Planting started in spring 2023. Trees contributed by Go Forest members during 2022, 2023, and 2024 are all dedicated to this site. The site has excellent climatic and soil conditions to grow a forest. This project also benefits 140 families in the surrounding area. The first monitoring round, in summer 2023, showed an impressive survival rate of over 80 percent, with the trees planted in spring 2023 doing great. By 2024, many trees had already shown remarkable growth, thriving in conditions that provide an excellent foundation for a resilient new forest.

Go Forest and field partner Alianza Wichi work to protect and defend indigenous cultures, nature, and biodiversity of the Yunga and Chaco regions in northern Argentina. The Gran Chaco communities are historically nomadic hunter-gatherers, living from and within vast, high-quality forests, not working the land, but sustained by it. Decades of logging have severely damaged these forests, disrupting their traditional way of life and triggering serious consequences for food security, nutrition, and community health. Cultural diversity is key for humanity and for enhancing ecosystems: we empower indigenous communities to regain their traditional relationship with the natural world and their territories, and collaborate with them to develop agroforestry projects in the Territorios Originarios Wichi (TOW) and the Quebracho & Oka Puckie community (QOP), now-protected community forests in northern Argentina. Our approach is built around two complementary pillars, co-designed with the communities based on what is most needed in each territory. Pillar 1 - Agroforestry restoration: We reforest large, now-protected community forests damaged by logging, focusing on native trees of high ecological, cultural and food value, such as carob, mistol and chañar. Following the indigenous logic of native forest enrichment, we enrich degraded patches and recover the forest's capacity to feed and sustain the communities who have always lived from it, allowing families to gather fruits and other resources in the way they have always done traditionally. The planting model prioritises an irregular native forest structure: multiple tree and shrub species of different ages, a complex vertical structure across various strata, and a spatial distribution that emulates the natural patterns of the local ecosystem. Pillar 2 - Intensive agroforestry: Since 2025, we have added a second, complementary approach. On defined plots, we develop multi-strata agroforestry systems that replicate forest structures at higher productive intensity, combining native and non-native species such as mango, banana, avocado, citrus and moringa, alongside vegetables, legumes, aromatic plants and medicinal species. This pillar directly addresses the malnutrition and health issues caused by forest loss. As neighbouring communities come to learn and establish their own systems, the approach generates a powerful multiplier effect across the region. Alongside both pillars, we are developing tree nurseries of native species across multiple sites, maintaining a holistic vision where the tree is part of a broader picture. The project works to solve multiple challenges at once: generating revenues for local communities, regenerating biodiversity across fauna, flora, soils and groundwater, producing food, providing legal support for territories to halt further deforestation, contributing to global climate resilience as a carbon sink, and strengthening the social fabric of indigenous communities. Every 230 trees funded allows us to support a family of four for one month, directly backing the guardians of the forest who produce, plant, and monitor the trees on the ground.

Mangroves are an important piece of the ecosystem that offers much more than we can imagine. From being a great habitat for wildlife species, being great protection for coasts, and bringing an economical added value to the local population, it also is one of the greatest sources of carbon sequestration. The total area of mangrove forest in Madagascar covers about 20% of African mangroves and 2% of the world's mangroves. However, the mangrove forests of Bombetoka Bay suffered a 34% loss between 1990 and 2000 (Report on the state of mangroves in Madagascar - WWF Madagascar) and this loss represents a significant threat to biological biodiversity and the living conditions of local communities. Today, the mangrove can no longer play its economic and social role, which justifies the search for initiatives and alternatives for the revitalization of this natural ecosystem. This revitalization should respond to the concern for the preservation and ecological balance of this environment that is so vital for the local populations. The project, in cooperation with the social enterprise Bôndy, consists of planting mangroves in the Bombetoka Bay located in the North-West of Madagascar, more specifically in the municipality of Boanamary (Maromiandra village) and Amparimahitsy (Belobaka village). The overall objective is to restore degraded lands and promote better management of the mangrove ecosystem to improve the living conditions of the local communities. Moreover, the mangroves provide spawning grounds for shrimps, crabs, and fish and 45% of the seafood sold in Majunga (a city of 240,000 inhabitants in the region) comes from the local commune. Our goal is therefore to boost the economy of the community. The project consists of restoring 400ha of degraded land by planting 2.4 million mangroves and we aim to sequester more than 1.5 million tCO2 over the life of the project.