Why Most Tree Planting Campaigns Fail and How to Fix Them

Each year, different countries worldwide launch dozens of tree planting campaigns to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. But more often than not, no climate value is generated. Where are we going wrong, and what should be done better?

Lucy Kagendo, an environmentalist with the NGO Green Dimensions Network, planted 50 saplings in Kenya last year as part of a national campaign to plant 15 billion trees by 2032.

Many of those trees are now dead today.

It is that simple of an idea regarding tree planting campaigns. Trees absorb carbon from the air. Their leaves absorb water and carbon dioxide, a gas linked to global warming, and process it into food with oxygen as waste.

But Kagendo is not alone in his reforestation disappointments. Take a look at northern India’s afforestation efforts over the past five decades.

A recent study published in the environmental journal Nature Sustainability found that “decades of expensive tree planting programs in the region have not proven effective,” as they did nothing to boost overall forest canopy cover or stem climate change.

Africa’s Grand Green Wall program, launched in 2007, aims to restore vegetation and trees on approximately 100 million hectares of degraded Sahelian land. However, according to the most recent UN figures, only a fraction of that had been sown by then. Progress stalls when money for each tree runs out, and water or care is not provided.

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The problem with tree planting campaigns

Many tree planting campaigns fail because they don’t plant suitable trees at the right time and in the right place.

In 2019, the Turkish government launched a nationwide tree plantation drive to plant 11 million trees throughout Turkey.

Seyifunmi Adebote, a Nigerian environmental management researcher, claims most initiatives fail because individuals are more concerned with tree planting than with “proper implementation planning.”

“Most times when tree planting campaigns are made, they are made in the context of either local politics or global politics motivated to tick the boxes,” Adebote said to The Diplomat news.

“Many government tree planting campaigns have unrealistic ambitions,” says Yusuf Idris Amoke, a climate change official for the Nigerian state of Kaduna. He believes past efforts failed because the government created them to boost its green image.”

Give trees from sapling to maturity top priority.

Trees usually take 20 to 30 years to reach maturity, so it can be a while before they significantly impact the temperature. Therefore, it’s crucial to track the trees and gather information after planting—something often overlooked.

Choosing “appropriate native species” and properly tending to trees over time is equally vital.

“Effective campaigns are those that not only plant trees but also ensure their survival by care and monitoring,” says Elsie Gabriel, the Young Environmentalists Program Trust’s creator.

For China’s Loess Plateau Watershed Rehabilitation Project, for example, the native, drought-resistant species chosen could flourish under local climate and soil conditions, ensuring success.

The effort effectively planted 270,000 hectares of trees and bushes, more than quadrupling the area of New York City.

Once trees have been planted, who maintains them?

Kagendo from the Green Dimensions Network started questioning who would take care of the trees after planting them in the ground after she planted hers in Kenya during the government campaign.

“The president went out and planted trees, but will he go out and water it afterwards?” Kagendo enquired. She travelled to a national park from her residence to assist with the campaign. Kagendo adds that she will “grow trees close to me so I can take care of them.”

Local communities should participate in initiatives since they can help keep trees alive.

“Tree plantations in India should reach local indigenous communities,” said Gabriel. “Schools and institutions should present these possibilities. Employing women on tree farms and horticulture projects will address gender imbalances.”

Some effective local tree-planting programs have applied this strategy. Young people from nearby towns and universities participated in the US Green Seattle Partnership project. As of now, they have logged almost a million volunteer hours.

Less is sometimes more as well.

Kagendo said, “It is better to grow healthier, less trees than plant many that might all fail.”