Why We Plant

Trees do not grow in isolation. A single tree planted in bare soil is a start, but it is not yet a forest. A forest is a relationship between species, between soil and root, between canopy and understory, between the living and the decomposing. Reforestation is the work of rebuilding those relationships where they have been lost.

In Haiti, that loss is visible. Hillsides that were once covered are now exposed. Watersheds that once held water now drain quickly and flood easily. Soil that once produced reliably now requires inputs it never needed before.

The causes are documented: decades of charcoal production, colonial and post-colonial land policies that displaced traditional farming knowledge, and a food system that pushed farmers toward monoculture and away from the diverse agroforestry practices that sustained Haitian communities for generations.

Reforestation in that context is not just ecological work. It is a form of repair. When we plant a native tree and give it to a family to tend on their land, we are returning something that was taken, not by that family, but from the land they depend on.

Each tree is a small act in a large process. The process takes decades. We have been at it since 2014 and we have seen enough change in Cap Rouge to know that it is working. The soil holds more moisture. The canopy is returning. The species that need cover are starting to come back.

That is why we plant.