Project Overview

Our restoration approach is about incorporating youth in environmental activism. We work to provide opportunities for college students and younger adults to get involved with tree planting. Our restoration method first involves cleaning the area. Since the land we typically work on is incredibly polluted, we remove all litter from the area and dispose of it safely. This also means working with authorities to ensure the litter is properly disposed of. From there, since much native biodiversity has been lost, there are typically high concentrations of invasive species. We take a few weeks to remove all weeds or ‘harmful’ invasive species - plants that are actively known for stealing resources from necessary native plants. Once the area is cleaned, we purchase the seeds from small farms and nurseries nearby the planting area. This is to support local businesses and ensure everything is native to the area. We typically purchase these seeds in bulk. We also purchase natural fertilizer for areas that do not have very good soil. We plant the seeds for larger trees around 1-3 meters apart to ensure an area to grow. We plant the smaller plans less than one meter apart. From there, we take extensive care by documenting each plant in one of our database spreadsheets and do daily observations, then weekly observations as the plants start to grow. In these observations, we provide plant nutrients and fertilizer as needed. 

This specific site:
Since it is mostly covered by shrubs, the trees and species we plant are shorter, stalkier, but all native. It is also important to keep into account the access of water in this area and plant trees or species that do not require large amounts of them.
For native species we plant African oil palms, West African palms, purple plume grass, and Thollon's Strophanthus. 
We also plant trees like Yohimbe and a few Light Bosse trees.

Risks Facing Restoration

Our tree planting project is not without its challenges, and we have identified several risks that our plantings may face. Here are some of the potential risks, along with our mitigation strategies:

Fire Hazard: The region where we are planting trees may be susceptible to wildfires. To mitigate this risk, we will establish firebreaks around the planting area and conduct regular controlled burns during the non-planting season to reduce dry vegetation that could fuel wildfires.
Cattle Grazing: Uncontrolled grazing by livestock can pose a threat to young trees. We will work closely with local communities to implement fencing and grazing management plans to prevent cattle from accessing the planting sites.

With higher temperatures and a drier climate, we expect a survival rate of approximately 75% - 80% for this planting project. This estimate takes into account the amount of rain and groundwater in the area and how these conditions foster for the younger plants to thrive.