Introducing the Irente Planting Site, Future Home to 2+ Million Trees
ForestPlanet will be planting 2+ million desperately needed trees in the coming months, and we’re excited by the challenge. Pictured above is the 2,200-hectare Irente planting site in the Western Usambara Mountain region of Tanzania; the site is about the size of 5,000 football fields.
The Irente planting site sits on the edge of the Magamba Nature Reserve, where a combination of issues have lead to serious degradation of the land. Fires, unsustainable planting practices, and encroachment into the reserve have all contributed to a significant reduction in tree cover.
The reduction in healthy tree root systems has in turn decreased water retention in the soils and lowered the water table. Wells have dried up, and many of the region’s children are tasked with traveling long distances to collect water and firewood. This results in less time in the classroom, much to the detriment of the children and, ultimately, their community.
ForestPlanet will help replant a variety of locally sourced tree species, including makhamea lutea, ocotea usambarensis, ficus sur, and moringa oleifera. Fruiting trees such as peach, plum, apple, and avocado will be added to the mix to support sustenance. A variety of nutritious subsistence crops – like onions, potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes – will be interplanted with the trees to create a healthy and biodiverse system.
ForestPlanet is glad to have helped fund the 48-hectare Kewzizi planting site in 2020, and more on that project can be found here. The Irente site is almost 50 times larger than the Kwezizi site, and we’re excited by the potential.
Much more information on the Irente project will be published in the coming weeks. If you would like to support our efforts our donation form can be found here. We’re also happy to answer questions, so please leave a comment below.
Onward!