Revive a Rainforest

Campaign Update: The First Trees Arrive

The first trees have arrived to be planted in the new NRDC Member Rainforest

Thanks to the generosity of NRDC Members and activists, thousands of tree saplings have just arrived at the site of the new NRDC Member Rainforest in Costa Rica. These trees will grow up to be mighty global warming fighters -- and provide urgently needed sanctuary for threatened wildlife.

Right now, these tree seedlings, which stand about 12 inches high, are in the nursery. They will be planted outside in May -- transforming a cattle pasture back to the rainforest it once was years ago.

It won't take long for the trees to restore this once lush rainforest to its former glory -- since we're planting the fast-growing native Vochysia species, which will grow to 30 feet high in less than six years. Eventually, the forest will include trees of all shapes and sizes.

The new NRDC Member Rainforest will restore a cattle pasture in Costa Rica to the lush rainforest it once was years ago.
It's a huge undertaking to plant so many trees at once, but the NRDC Member Rainforest will also serve as an important environmental education experience. Many of the trees will be planted by local schoolchildren. The forest will also serve as a demonstration project for farmers to learn the basics of tree planting, so they can plant even more trees on their own land to conserve soil from erosion.

To make sure this new forest grows as a native forest should, NRDC will be working with our partner, the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), to manage and maintain the trees for years to come.

The NRDC rainforest-to-be is perfectly situated to help connect two large biosphere reserves, allowing wildlife to roam freely amidst the rivers and streams. We are hopeful our forest will attract some of the country's most charismatic and endangered species, including spider monkeys and blue and gold macaws.

As the NRDC Member Rainforest grows, the trees will serve another important purpose -- "vacuuming" harmful carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it away. With the help of our online activists, we plan to expand the Revive a Rainforest campaign to plant more trees and restore more critical rainforest habitat.