Trees + Community = Tree-nation
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona on 10.18.07
If you can’t get enough of your online social networks like Facebook or Linkedin and you’d also like to see more trees on this planet, then it’s time for you to join Tree-nation. The goal of this ecological project is to plant 8 million trees in the Sahara to fight climate change, desertification and poverty. With their project, they support UNEP’s Billion Tree Campaign.
8 Million trees in the desert, a unique mapping technique and a growing online community is what makes this project stand out. You can buy your own tree online: choose one of 5 tree species (prices range from 10-75€), personalise it and plant it. A GPS allows you to spot your tree online anytime.
Tree-nation believe that ”fighting desertification is not only a good initiative that will reduce the effects of climate change, not to mention improve the lives of thousands of people, but that it can also be rewarding and fun!” The real fun starts by becoming an active member of its online community. The web site allows you to build up your personal profile by sharing photos, joining discussions, adding petitions, creating a group and last but not least exhibiting the trees you bought yourself or as a gift for that special someone.
Why 8 Million trees in Niger? This large-scale plantation of trees will increase the land's productivity and re-generate the soil which then leads to more biodiversity and the protection of endangered species. As a tree-planting project, Tree-nation also provides humanitarian aid in the long run and supports local communities with welfare, education and farming expertise.
This young company, founded by Maxime Renaudin and run by himself, his partner Andrew Pothecary and Agro-Forestry expert Aboubacar Ichaou, is based in Barcelona. As a for-profit organisation, Tree-nation’s philosophy is to “use business enterprise for ecological projects. By planting your tree, you are not only investing in your own future, but also the future of others.”
Jon Lerner from Tree-nation told us their latest achievement: “We recently secured a position at a Web 2.0 Conference in Berlin next month in which Tree-nation will be offering an Acacia Senegal tree to each attendee this year. Each attendee will go online and claim his or her tree, with its own unique code so that they can check back on it throughout the months and watch it grow. The prinicipal benefit of the Acacia Senegal is the 200-300 grams of resin (a type of gum) that each tree gives off, added to food products as a source of alimentation.” ::Tree-nation
I don't know what impact this will have on the environment but it's worth a shot.
I've got news for you - trees will not grow in
the Sahara unless they are surrounded by good
soil, protected from the boiling 120 degree sun,
and watered frequently. Who is going to
do this ? Don't send a eager little sprouting tree
to such a desolate area - it would be akin to
murder.
Instead, we can all rescue little sprouting trees
from "landscapers" who whack them down, pot
them, nourish them, and pass them on to good
people who will put them in fertile soil and care
for them properly. We can also start lots of
oak trees from acorns, others from their seeds,
and this will teach us patience. I just spent 2
yrs getting two little Buckeye trees to about a
foot height, only to have them trampled and killed
by little children "playing" in the garden. From
now on, I will specialize in faster-growing trees.
Now have planted three thujas and am enjoying watching them thrive.
The Sahara is a desert, trees do not grow there for a reason, it is hot, there is no water and insufficat soil to support. If you wish to plant trees then plant then in an envoirment that they belong in. Putting then somewhere they don't is only going to cause futher damage to the area.
Hi all. This is Jon from Tree-Nation and I'd like to explain a few points about desertification and planting in Niger. While Niger’s northern border does touch the Sahara, the majority lies in a sub-Saharan region called the Sahel. The Sahel has been the crib of some of Africa's most important civilizations.
It is completely possible to plant in Niger. Not all of the Sahel, or even the Sahara, is sand dune. 500-600 mm of water falls each year where we plant, which, when combined with the fact that we plant only indigenous trees (Acacia Senegal, Baobab, etc) growth is possible. No, it's not the same as planting in the Pacific Northwest of the US, but desertification is a leading cause of Niger's extreme poverty (it is rated lowest of all nations on the UN's Human Development Index). And that, my friends is why Tree-Nation exists! These trees, already accustomed to little water, put down roots, and tap into extremely large underground pools located all over Africa, called aquifers. Lastly, we work on the ground with INRAN, Niger's National Agricultural Research Center, with whom we research, raise seedlings and of course plant trees. Please check out our FAQ page for this plus much more information
Also, I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email at: Jon.Lerner@Tree-Nation.com
I hope this has helped to clarify some of the doubts that were out there. More than 90% of Niger experiences desertification, and it is our mission to bring that number down while also empowering the locals of Niger's communities. Thanks!
Sincerely,
Jon
I am with Jon Lerner. I believe it is totally possible to plant trees in niger. I don't understand why all these people call themselves tree huggers but they don't even want to give this a shot