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Peirce Mill Update #5 – It’s All About the Soil. And the People.

We love our work at ForestPlanet. But we rarely get to play in the dirt and care for the trees. Our day-to-day work is mostly about raising money to buy trees, planning individual tree planting projects, communicating with our local partners overseas, and the sundry tasks of running a small non-profit. So we cherish our […]

Esther’s New Job: Growing a Greener Future for her Neighbors

At ForestPlanet, we approach reforestation like a business – with strategic, long-term investments. But instead of quarterly profits, our return comes in the form of healthier ecosystems and thriving communities.  Our first consideration is the needs of the local people.  What will motivate them to meaningfully engage in reforestation long after we are gone? Fortunately […]

Forests and Foods: How ForestPlanet Supports People and the Environment

The International Day of Forests theme for this year, “Forests and Foods,” highlights the essential role forests play in food security, nutrition, and livelihoods.  At ForestPlanet, we have long recognized that human well-being is deeply intertwined with the health of our forests. When people struggle, deforestation accelerates. When communities thrive, reforestation efforts can flourish. To […]

Bees for Trees: How ForestPlanet is Creating a Sweet Solution for Mangrove Reforestation in Tanzania

  2024 was a rough year for Mubaraka. A local entrepreneur with 20 bee hives in the village of Pangani, he has counted on his ~70-liter honey harvest to provide for his family. But last year it was only 40 liters. This brought him only 480,000 Tanzanian shillings for the season (sure sounds like a […]

The Year Ahead – Top 5 Reasons to be Optimistic about Global Reforestation 

  ForestPlanet has always focused on the positive – what is working, what could work, and what each of us can do to help. Simply put, we replace climate despair with positive action. Granted, there are headwinds in 2025 with the incoming U.S. Administration that may play out in some form. But we have good […]

We Will Understand Only What We Are Taught

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” – Baba Dioum, Forestry Engineer, Senegal Oh my, we love this quote so much. Our main focus here at ForestPlanet is conserving, protecting, and valuing our small blue marble […]

ForestPlanet Makes Community Connections

ForestPlanet’s Executive Director Hank Dearden was delighted to be the guest speaker for the Women of All Saints Episcopal Church Fall Luncheon series in Chevy Chase, Maryland. While the title of the speech may seem curious: “After a lovely meal we still need to do the dishes… What’s this got to do with trees?” the […]

Where Belt and Road meets our Green Wall

Recently ForestPlanet and our local partners in Tanzania celebrated what to most would seem like a very small victory.  We finally got word that the Tanzania Forest Service (TFS) had given us written permission to plant trees (mostly mangroves) on government land located in two important districts. This hurdle had been un-cleared for months, and […]

Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste: Moroccan Success Story

Everywhere we travel we see underlying economic forces driving unsustainable behavior. Alternatively, when unsustainable behavior begins to deliver diminishing returns it’s an opportunity to offer economically viable alternatives that also provide ecological benefits. Decision windows open and close quickly, so the right team with the right ideas and tools needs to be ready. Case in […]

Join ForestPlanet at the VA Irish Fest on March 16th!

When we’re not out planting trees we’re busy producing fun, informative, and (double) green events.   The 2024 VA Irish Fest is brought to you by ForestPlanet, and will be a great time for all.  Come out to enjoy the music, the dancing, the festivities, and stop by our information tent to learn more about our […]