Our Partners
Partnership with Trees For The Future
Trees
The Benefits Of Planting Trees
The average tree can REMOVE up to 50 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year, among many other greenhouse gases. With only 1,000 trees or 5 acres of forest, 22 pounds of CO2 are removed a year, for hundred of years.
Removes CO2.
And they add oxygen. When trees grow and develop over time, the process of photosynthesis works to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen. Annually, one tree can remove up to 50 pounds of CO2. With hundreds, it adds up. We have developed a unique formula to calculate the efficiency of trees over your carbon footprint.
Light CO2 is working with Trees For The Future to replant the millions of trees lost in the Australian Bushfires, among many other damaged communities. We only plant native trees, that provide a benefit to the people, the land, and the ecosystems. These trees also provide food security through stable sources.
Provides Resources.
Not only do trees provide animals with resources, such as the eucalyptus trees koalas, but also humans. From shelter and shade to unique farming gardens, trees ensure a stable supply of food, safety, and housing. They can even be used to prevent landslides and avalanches. Light CO2 is working to help plant these trees in underdeveloped areas, so they provide enormous impacts.
Over 15% of the world or more than a billion individuals make less than one dollar a day. Unique “Tree Gardens” are planted in these communities which provide protection, nutrients, and pure water to agriculture. With these systems, individuals gain a stable source of food, shelter, and income.
Reduces Poverty.
Trees provide access to a stable supply of food, water, and even money. Trees for The Future employs locals to help plant trees on a salary that lifts them and their families out of poverty. In addition to the planters, communities can thrive around trees with the resources they provide and benefited agriculture from the primordial cycle of purification.
Sustainable Development Goals
Project Information & Documentation
Where are and what trees being planted?
Where Do We Plant?
Light CO2 is working with TREES to plant trees all around the world, specifically in the areas that need it the most. This includes areas of severe poverty, forest lost, and even areas burned through fires. For example, this year, we are focusing the majority of funds toward eucalyptus trees in Australia to restore shelter, food, and safety for animals like koalas. No matter where we plant them, your donation still offsets carbon. Our advanced formula calculates the amount of carbon a tree removes from birth to decomposition to find exactly how many trees you need to restore your carbon footprint. All of our data is based on the most recent emission factor data from the Environmental Protection Agency and studies of tree carbon removal. We even included other factors like the water a tree uses!
What Trees Do We Plant?
Farmers in TREES programs grow a variety fast-growing trees, thorny trees, fruit trees and hardwoods to create their Forest Garden.
They plant thorny trees, such as Acacia species, in living fences to protect their fields. They plant fast-growing, multipurpose trees to produce fertilizer, animal fodder and fuelwood. Our most popular fast-growing trees include: Acacia, Sesbania, Calliandra, Albizia, Leucaena and Cassia species. They plant fruit trees for food to eat and sell. Mangoes, citrus, cashew, avocado, and jujube are particularly common. For longer term investment, farmers often want to plant hardwoods such as mahogany, gmelina, and grevillea.
More Specifically TREES Plants:
Multi-Purpose Fast-Growing Trees
Acacia angustissima (Acacia, Prairie Acacia, White Ball Acacia)
Acacia mellifera (Acacia, Blackthorn, Senegalia mellifera)
Acacia nilotica (Acacia, Vachellia nilotica, Gum Arabic Tree)
Acacia polyacantha (Acacia, White Thorn)
Acacia senegal (Acacia, Senegalia senegal, Gum Acacia, Gum Arabic)
Albizia chinensis (Albizia, Chinese Albizia)
Albizia lebbeck (Albizia, Siris, Lebbeck, Woman’s Tongue Tree)
Albizia schimperiana (Albizia, Forest Long-Pod Albizia)
Azadirachta indica (Neem)
Calliandra calothyrsus (Calliandra)
Cassia siamea (Senna siamea)
Delonix regia (Flamboyant, Flame Tree, Royal Poinciana)
Faidherbia albida (Acacia albida, Apple-Ring Acacia, Winter Thorn)
Gliricidia sepium (Gliricidia, Cacao de Nance, Madre de Cacao)
Jacaranda mimosifolia (Jacaranda, Fern Tree)
Leucaena diversifolia (Leucaena, Red Leucaena, Wild Tamarind, Leucaena Petit Feuille)
Leucaena leucocephala (Leucaena, White Leadtree)
Leucaena pallida (Leucaena; synonyms are: dugesiana, esculenta, oaxacana, and panilulata)
Morus sp. (Mulberry)
Parkinsonia aculeata (Parkinsonia, Jerusalem Thorn)
Senna siamea (Senna, Cassia Tree, Cassia siamea)
Senna spectabilis (Senna, Cassia fastigiata, Cassia excelsa, and various Cassia species)
Sesbania sesban (Sesbania, Egyptian Rattle Pod)
Sesbania grandiflora (Hummingbird Tree)
Sesbania macrantha (Sesbania, Mlindaziwa)
Fruit and Nut Trees
Adansonia digitata (Baobab, Monkey-Bread Tree, Upside-Down Tree)
Anacardium occidentale (Cashew)
Balanites aegyptiaca (Desert Date)
Citrus sp. (Citrus, Orange, Lemon, Lime, Tangerine, Grapefruit, Pomelo, etc.)
Cocos nucifera (Coconut)
Cola acuminata (Cola, Red Cola, Kola Nut)
Dacryodes edulis (African plum, Bush Plum, Safou, Prune)
Elaeis guineensis (Oil Palm)
Garcinia kola (Bitter Kola)
Irvingia sp. (Bush Mango)
Macadamia integrifolia (Macadamia Nut)
Mangifera indica (Mango)
Monodora myristica (Groundnut Spice, Calabash Nutmeg)
Moringa oleifera (Moringa, Drumstick Tree, Horseradish Tree)
Persea americana (Avocado, Pear)
Phoenix dactylifera (Date Palm)
Psidium guajava (Guava)
Ricinodendron heudelotii (Njangsa, Njasang)
Tamarindus indica (Tamarind)
Ziziphus mauritiana (Jujube, Goa)
Timber Trees
Acrocarpus fraxinifolius (Pink Cedar)
Cedrela odorata (Spanish Cedar)
Cordia africana (Codria, Cordia abyssinia)
Gmelina arborea (Gmelina, Beechwood, White Teak)
Grevillea robusta (Grevillea, Silky Oak)
Khaya anthotheca (East African Mahogany)
Khaya senegalensis (Mahogany, Bois Rouge)
Maesopsis eminii (Umbrella Tree)
Milicia excelsa (African Teak)
Podocarpus sp. (Podocarpus)
Prunus africana (African Cherry, Prunus, Pygeum, Red Stinkwood)
Tectona grandis (Teak)
Vitex keniensis (Vitex, Meru Oak)
Shrubs, Vines and Fruiting Plants
Agave sisalana (Sisal)
Cajanus cajan (Pigeon Pea)
Carica papaya (Papaya)
Coffea sp. (Coffee)
Dovyalis caffra (Kai Apple)
Jatropha curcas (Jatropha, Physic Nut)
Musa spp. (Banana and Plantain)
Passiflora edulis (Passion Fruit)
Punica granatum (Pomegranate)
Solanum betaceum (Tamarillo, Tree Tomato)
Tephrosia vogelii (Fish Bean)
Theobroma cacao (Cocoa)
How many trees are being planted?
CO2 Footprint
=
800 Trees
Or 400. Or 3,000. It’s Personalized.
For the average American, we will plant approximately 800 trees. However, everyone lives, travels, and consumes differently. Thus, everyone has a unique carbon footprint that commonly is not this average - It could be anywhere between 400 to 3,000 trees. When you take Light CO2’s carbon footprint calculator, you can find your unique impact on the environment. In as little as three questions, you can get a detailed report on your greenhouse gas emissions. It not only shows information about how many trees we’ll plant to offset your footprint but also information on your most significant sectors of pollution. Or, if you’d like only to offset a small amount, take our travel calculator. Next, choose how you’d like to offset, from planting trees or installing solar/wind in underdeveloped communities. We believe everyone is unique, and anyone can make a difference in our world.
OR
#ChangeClimateChange
What does a "Tree Garden" mean?
Our partner Trees for the Future (TREES) plants all sorts of trees and plants, and nearly all of the trees we use are either native or naturalized in the environments where they are planted. TREES partners with farmers to understand their needs and match them with species that will suit their needs and be environmentally benign. Light CO2 is partnering with TREES to help plant trees across the world.
The farmers TREES work with learn to grow a variety of fast-growing trees, fruit trees, hardwoods and vegetables. They use the fast-growing trees to secure and stabilize degraded lands. Then TREES help the farmer diversify his field with fruit trees and hardwoods. Farmers intercrop vegetables and field crops among the trees.
TREES Forest Garden Project methodology follows a phased approach that begins with mobilizing resources and stakeholders, then guides farmers through a series of steps, over the course of up to four years, through which they learn to design, establish, and manage their Forest Gardens before graduating from the program. The five-phase approach includes:
Mobilization – In the first phase of the approach TREES hire project staff and meet with relevant stakeholders (government reps, community leaders, and potential partners) to solicit their support and formalize the project. With the help of stakeholders we identify interested farmer groups, lead farmers, and participants, and host orientation workshops prior to pursuing training and extension activities.
Protection – Phase II through IV comprise the phases of Forest Garden establishment. In the protection phase TREES provides farmers with the skills and resources needed to protect their forest garden sites. Farmers achieve this by planting green walls – an enhanced version of a living fence that we have developed – around the perimeters of their sites. They then plant fast-growing fertilizer trees throughout their sites, often in alleys among their crops, to further stabilize their soils and enhance crop fertility.
Diversification – As the green walls grow and soils become increasingly fertile, farmers begin to diversify the products they grow in their Forest Gardens. During this phase, farmers plant higher-value vegetables, fruit, nut, and timber trees. They also learn increasingly advanced skills and techniques that will help them manage their Forest Gardens more effectively and sustainably.
Optimization – In the fourth phase, farmers will learn to adopt advanced Forest Garden planting and care, integrated pest management, and conservation techniques that optimize and ensure the long-term health, productivity, and profitability of their land.
Graduation – The fifth and final phase of TREES Forest Garden approach consists of transitioning ownership of the project to the farmer groups to continue supporting each other as a team in the on-going development and management of their Forest Gardens and marketing of products. Projects are concluded with a graduation ceremony during which we recognize the efforts and accomplishments of farmers, staff, and other stakeholders, and present farmers who have completed the program with Master Forest Gardener Certification.
Learn more at www.trees.org
Water? I thought trees used lots of water.
Water is a critical limiting factor in any form of agriculture, so Trees For The Future (TREES) has come up with many ways to mitigate the challenges faced. For example, when selecting communities, those that either do not have a history of water shortages in their well or just recently gained access to running water are prioritized.
When staff are trained in arid lands to establish nurseries, TREES has found ways for farmers to grow seedlings by using minimal amounts of water, even gray water which is left over from other household tasks.
When designing Forest Gardens, drought-resistant trees which survive on little water are selected, and windbreaks are inserted to minimize the drying effect – evapotranspiration as it is called – that dry winds have on the land.
TREES times their nurseries so that seedlings are planted at the beginning of every rainy season, maximizing the amount of time they get rained on as most trees we plant are not watered throughout the dry season.
Through these innovative techniques, the trees planted use significantly less water, and actually provide a greater benefit to the community through purifying the water, air, and providing. So while some trees may use lots of water, Light CO2 ensure that we use as little as possible of this valuable resource.
Can I visit my trees?
Of course! To see first-hand the benefit of your donation or carbon offset, contact us below. We’ll also keep you up to date on your trees’ growth when you purchase your offset(s). While we cannot fund your visit, we are more than willing to work with you to organize a site visit during your trip or offer volunteer opportunities.
Fill Out This Form To Visit Your Trees
Project Verification
Documentation
We believe that carbon removal projects should only be “additional,” meaning that they verifiably reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide levels that would never have been removed or prevented without the project. When selecting a partner, we choose simple, effective, and honest organization that believe in our mission as much as we do. That’s why we’ve gone through all the paperwork, research, and studies. It shouldn't be hard to make Earth a brighter place. Below, you can find all documentation, reports, and filings of Trees For The Future (TREES) in case you’d like to vet them for yourself.