REFORESTATION FAQ's:

Question
Can I or someone else personally visit the trees I have had planted through my contribution?

Answer
A particular tree-planting area may be tens-of-thousands of acres in size. We cannot keep track of precisely where an individual contribution correlates to seedlings going in the ground. We also do not attach contributor 'plaques' to or near the trees as not only do they often become detached, but as a conservation group, we feel that this is a waste of natural resources.

Question
How can I find out if a reforestation organization is reputable? What questions should I ask a tree-planting organization to determine if they are legitimate, reputable and do a good job?

Answer
The reputable reforestation groups mostly all know each other and they also know which organizations are known to be 'pulling a fast one' on the public. Quality reforestation organizations are not afraid of 'hard questions', have written recommendations from clients, and focus on quality rather than quantity. Good questions to ask include: "How do you ensure a high survival rate?" "Are you affiliated in any way whatsoever with any religious, political, cultural or other institution of any kind?" "Do you plant only indigenous trees and if not, in what situations is that OK?" "Do you plant only in non-timber harvest areas and if not, in what situations is that OK?" "If you are project partnering with an organization such as the US Forest Service, how can I know for sure that my contribution is not simply replacing existing funding for trees, with the prior funding then getting redirected towards administrative expenses?"

Question
Why do you not have many other locations?

Answer
Plant-It 2020 only selects locations we know about where there is a high survival rate, where trees are needed, where funding is needed, on publicly owned land, and where there is the manpower, supplies and ability to get the trees properly planted. We would rather do it right than waste our contributor's money.

Question
What percentage of the trees being planted with my contribution are 1) in non-harvest areas, 2) coppiced, and 3) harvested? If you are having trees harvested, what are the specific reasons for doing so and who or what company is benefiting?

Answer
Plant-It 2020 only plants trees in non-harvest locations. In some highly-specific circumstances, selected locations may have the trees coppiced but we ensure that the tree not only survives but continues to thrive when this occurs. Many other reforestation groups take funds from contributors and have the trees harvested. To do so ethically, the forest must be funded and manpowered to generate long-term sustainability (like FSC), the soil must not be compacted or otherwise damaged in the process (via machinery and trucks), no new roads must be built, and the harvested trees should directly materially benefit poor people in the area (providing fuel-wood for cooking or branches to be sold for toothbrushes, furniture, etc.). There are a very small number of quality reforestation organizations that plant trees in Latin America, Africa and SE Asia that allow their trees to be harvested in this ethical manner but the larger reforestation organizations planting trees in the US do not. There is also the issue of 'thinning' forests where the density of trees per area is reduced by selectively taking a tree out here and there instead of simply razing an entire area to the ground. Normally, it is state and federal groups who do this as a method of reducing forest fires. When this is done in ways that do not damage the soil, ground-clutter or by building roads (i.e. more expensively) and not for simply purposes of greed (making a few bucks by selling it to timber companies) then in some cases, this is arguably OK so long as a Silviculturist of high integrity designs and manages the process.

Question
Does a large staff mean that a reforestation organization is wasting money?

Answer
Not necessarily. An organization like the National Arbor Day Foundation may have a larger staff than similar groups but they successfully engage in nationwide activities that other reforestation groups do not --ex. helping cities across the US design and implement smarter reforestation approaches. This extensive educational outreach requires a larger staff and they thus justify a larger personnel size with effective urban assistance programs in a quality fashion. The other large-staffed, US reforestation organization on the other hand seems to concentrate on fund-raising, publicity, shoddy reforestation practices and wasting contributor funds. Thus, staff size should be in proportion to a combination of genuine need and the objective good each staff member does.

Question
What is the goal when planting trees in non-US countries?

Answer
Each reforestation project has its own unique set of goals. Ideally, the project should not only benefit the forest environment but also have additional benefits such as improving human hunger and thirst; moderating climate; saving endangered species; stopping landslides; reducing poverty; stopping desertification; reducing greenhouse gasses; and so forth. Some reforestation organizations combine tree-planting with micro-loans, more efficient cook-stoves and other approaches proven to dramatically improve the overall health and welfare of both the human and forest communities. Foreign tree-planting just for profit is of a low ethic that Plant-It 2020 does not support.