Support Reforestation Across the Indigenous West

Now that the planting season has come and gone for 2017, Trees, Water & People is working to raise awareness about our tree-planting program until next year. Thanks to our partnership with the Colorado State Forest Service Nursery, we are growing the next generation of Ponderosa Pines for the 2018 planting season. 2018 will be our most ambitious year yet; our goal is to plant 35,000 seedlings and to expand to two new areas of South Dakota. The plan for next year is to plant 15,000 Ponderosas on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation; 10,000 in the Oglala area, where we have planted before, and 5,000 in the region around Kyle, which will be a new area for us. In addition to Pine Ridge, we will be planting 15,000 on the Rosebud Reservation. The remaining 5,000 trees will be going to the Cheyenne River Reservation. This will be our first time planting on Cheyenne River, and we couldn't be more excited to be expanding the work that you have helped us accomplish.

In addition to the new planting areas, we will be strengthening our partnership with the Colorado State Forest Service to create a more holistic training program for the Native American tree planters. This training will not only focus on how to properly plant the seedlings to ensure their survival but also more deeply explore why these trees are important for their community and all the benefits they will provide. Colorado State Forest Service is also working with us to develop a soil amendment to add to the baby trees' roots that will increase their likelihood of reaching maturity. 

Not only are we working with the Colorado State Forest Service, but we are now partners with PrintReleaf, a software platform that helps businesses reduce their environmental impact by automatically planting trees across a global network of reforestation projects, thus offsetting their paper consumption. PrintReleaf will help us monitor the trees we plant to ensure that the survival rate of these little trees is as high as possible.

We are tremendously excited about the growth of this project; growth that would not have been possible without the contribution of donors like you! Your gifts have sequestered carbon and reduced greenhouse gases, improved air and water quality, reduced soil erosion, re-established wildlife habitat, and enhanced ecosystem resiliency while engaging Native Americans in the protection of their lands. Thank you for your continued support! 

This spring was our third year of tree planting on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and undoubtedly our most successful. All in all, 52 Native Americans were trained to plant trees and take better care of their land under the able supervision of our local partners, Lakota Solar Enterprises (LSE) and Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation (TVCDC). Henry Red Cloud from LSE was once again the overall project coordinator.

We planted 33,000 Ponderosa Pine tree seedlings in areas that suffered from forest fires in past years. It was a great crew, and there was lots of rain, so we are very hopeful for a high survival rate and that we have established an excellent new stand of beautiful young trees on more than 60 acres of tribal land.

This year we also brought in our friend Dave Bartechi from the non-profit organization, Village Earth, who GIS mapped all of this and past years' tree planting areas. This mapping will help us to conduct survival surveys in the years ahead. We also were able to have Chris Winslow of FCPublic come and take some photographs of the planting. This will help us show the amazing impact these community members are having on their land.  

As we look forward to the 2018 season, we are excited to have developed so many local tree planters and some competent crew leaders. They understand that they are a Bridge Between the Generations – ultimately linking the ancestors who once roamed across the Great Plains with those who will live at Pine Ridge in the generations to come.You can see a short video on our tree planting by clicking here!

Thanks again for all of your support. We are already looking forward to next year's season!