There are people and then there are tree people.
At Olive + M we definitely consider ourselves tree people which means we are absolutely thrilled to announce our partnership with Tree App! Through the brilliance of Tree App we have committed to plant a tree for every purchase you make through our website! Amazing right!?
Allow me to take a moment here and explain why what Tree App is accomplishing is so important to all living things on this planet! Rain forests have been called the lungs of the planet. Through a process know as photosynthesis, leaves on trees pull in carbon dioxide and with the help of the Sun they convert it to oxygen which is then released into the atmosphere for us to breathe. One large tree can provide a days worth of oxygen for up to 4 people. And in just 1 year a mature tree can absorbs up to 48 pounds of carbon dioxide and store it in its fibers helping to clean up the air and reduce the harmful effects CO2 can have on the environment and consequently on all the living things in the environment. Global warming is related to the increase in carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases in the atmosphere, which humans produce indirectly through what we use. The more humans there are and the fewer trees there are, the more carbon there will be in the atmosphere and the warmer it will get. It’s a pretty simple equation.
Trees are our friends and we should treat them as such. We have a reciprocal relationship with them that is undeniable, at least it is to those of us that understand the vital role they play of giving us the very air we breath! Spending time in nature can help reduce stress and calm your mind. I have just had the distinct privilege of spending 5 days on my friends 75 acre property in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. We went for long walks in the forest amongst the trees and the air was fresh and clean. The trees in the forest were busy doing their tree jobs of converting CO2 to oxygen for us to breath and it was the true definition of a breath of fresh air! I felt the connection of every living thing in the forest and I knew we were all in this together as one thriving organism, all wanting respect and compassion and knowing we were collectively there for each other. On our way into town one afternoon we drove past a hillside that was so shocking and devastating to witness that my heart sank into my stomach and tears welled up in my eyes. The hillside was littered with trees that had been cut down and left for dead. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and when I asked my friend what on earth happened there she explained that someone had clear cut the land.
When people clear cut they cut down every tree in the area but take only the trees they deem valuable and leave the rest to rot on the land. It was a graveyard of fallen trees, fallen habitats for animals, fallen CO2 converters. It was a graveyard of fallen friends. This is the destruction that is happening at alarming rates in our majestic forests around the world.
- Tree App only engages in projects that plant mixed species of trees with the emphasis being the plantation of native species in continuous cover forests to support biodiversity in the region.
- Project Longevity is a main concern to ensure that the trees planted have the best survival rate. One key success driver Tree App has identified is the ease of access to the sites. If the roads are paved and less than 50km away from a town, this indicates that there is sufficient access to local communities to work the sites.
- Not only does planting trees have an environmental impact but it has a socio-economic impact as well. Tree App carefully monitors whether locals are employed and how they receive payment. If a project engages in wider agroforestry practices such as planting fruit or crop trees, locals are more likely to become stewards of the forest and either earn an income or have access to readily available food crops majorly improving their living condition.