Tree planters or tree growers?

When I explain what Treedom does, I say we plant trees.

Actually, I should say we make them grow. This is why we're able to have a truly positive long-term impact.

Planting trees is becoming an increasingly widespread phenomenon – almost a craze, in fact. 

And like any craze, it has its detractors.

Both at work and in my personal life, I run into some objections.

?? Is planting trees to absorb CO2 just a way of distracting the public's focus away from the continuing use of fossil fuels?

?? Doesn't covering large areas of soil with new trees risk eroding biodiversity and the richness of primary forests?

?? What if all this reforestation is just an excuse to create monocultures of trees for commercial use, i.e. intended for the production of wood, rubber or the like?

Let's try and clear a few things up.

Obviously, planting trees is not a magic solution to climate change. That would be like offering a plaster to someone who had just broken their leg.

However, scientific studies are in agreement on one thing: planting trees is one of the most powerful carbon sequestration tools available to us. (In a 2017 paper led by Bronson Griscom, Senior Director of Natural Climate Solutions at the Nature Conservancy, the researchers point out that of all the possible soil mitigation solutions, reforestation offers the greatest potential for carbon dioxide removal.)

The key is to plant trees in the right way and not to think that this negates the need to reduce our emissions at the source.

The method we have chosen at Treedom respects three main criteria, the same criteria found at this year's Global Landscapes Forum:

?? Include local communities in projects, thus ensuring their longevity; 

?? Plant the right trees in the right places. We favour native species or those that have already been integrated in the project areas for a significant time, allowing us to restore biodiversity rather than deplete it; 

?? We don't just plant trees in the ground: we monitor them, accompany them and support their care for the first few years of their life.

This type of tree management allows us to absorb carbon from the atmosphere and store it. It promotes the development of microorganisms and better water retention, and in the long term it allows nature to regenerate.

Of course, planting trees cannot be our sole response to the climate crisis, but it is a long-term strategy capable of producing environmental, social and economic benefits.

A strategy that, in my opinion, is worth trying.