Plant a Billion Trees

One dollar, one tree, one planet.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Help Us Build A Forest


Specialty Books & The National Arbor Day Foundation are replanting a forest in the United States and are allowing US colleges & universities vote for which one (which will then be named after the school). OU is currently in 46th place with 14 votes (go us!).

Check out the website, vote, and be sure to sell your books back at the end of the quarter and always try to by used!

"Fill the Forest and Your Wallet

Buying used books is like recycling! And it's good for the forest in so many ways. For starters, you're using a book that already exists instead of claiming the life of a living tree in order to make a new one. That's more trees for the forest and less stress for the environment. On top of that, when you buy used books we say thanks by planting more trees. So now you're building a new forest! And finally, because used books are cheaper, you save some money! (That one's more for you than the forest, but by now you’ve earned it!)"


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Green Tip from Union of Concerned Scientists




Ensure a Strong Future for Forests
September 2007
Read this issue of Greentips online


Forests provide habitat for more than half of all species living on land, help filter pollutants out of the air and water, and prevent soil erosion. They also play a major role in regulating global temperatures by absorbing heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in their cell walls. Unfortunately, the global benefits provided by trees are threatened by deforestation.

Earth loses more than 18 million acres of forestland every year—an area larger than Ireland—according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). When trees are cleared, their stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere. As a result, tropical deforestation is responsible for about 20 percent of total annual global warming emissions, making it second only to fossil fuels in terms of climate impact.

The best way to reduce emissions from tropical deforestation is to help ensure these trees are not cut down in the first place. Your purchasing decisions can play a role in this effort:

  • Wood: When buying wood products, look for labels that indicate the wood comes from sustainably managed forests. There are several forest certification programs in place worldwide; see the related links for a description and comparison of each. For home improvement projects, you can avoid new wood products altogether by using reclaimed wood for floors and wood-free materials (such as composite resin boards) for decks or play areas.
  • Coffee: Make your daily cup o’ joe using shade-grown coffee beans, which are grown under a forest canopy. In addition to supporting the preservation of forestlands, shade-grown coffee requires less fertilizer and pesticides to grow compared with coffee grown under full sun.
  • Paper: While most U.S. papers are not made from tropical woods, reducing overall demand for virgin paper can have a global impact. You can support forest-friendly paper by buying paper made from sustainably harvested timber, a high percentage of post-consumer recycled content, or wood-free fibers such as kenaf.

Planting trees, while not a substitute for deforestation, can provide important climate benefits, especially in urban areas. In addition to absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, trees cool the air by providing shade and transpiring water from their leaves, which help reduce air conditioner use (and subsequent emissions from electricity production) during the summer months.

ReLeaf in Planet OHIO News

Spring Quarter 07 Article








ReLeaf's First Tree Planting 03-31-07


"On Saturday, March 31, twenty volunteers braved the wind and rain to plant 1400 white pine and short leaf pine seedlings. The project was coordinated by Courtney Denning of ReLeaf for OHIO and Sonia Marcus, Resource Conservation Coordinator at OU with help from the First Presbyterian Church of Athens.

The seedlings used in this tree planting project were provided by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry. Every year, the State Tree Nursery produces and sells two million trees. These trees, called “Ohio Conservation Seedlings” serve a variety of purpose from fueling the pulp wood markets for paper, to growing wildlife habitat, preventing erosion and adding color and character to backyards around the state and beyond.

The seedlings planted in this project will help to stabilize the soils along the highway. They will absorb storm water thereby reducing flooding along Richland Ave. They will make the south entrance into the City of Athens more green and appealing. Ohio's Conservation Seedlings are unique in that seed is collected locally in Ohio from desirable trees that have shown longevity and productivity over decades. The seedlings then have the right genetics to withstand local conditions that include odd Ohio weather and various pests and diseases."

- Ann Bonner, Urban Forester, ODNR Division of Forestry