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"ReTree International is a nonprofit organization that has three objectives: To plant trees on idle lands wherever they will grow throughout the world; to involve people, especially young people, in this effort, and at the same time, educate them regarding the importance of trees and forests to the well being of the planet and ourselves; and to support forestry research." “There has always seemed something magical to me about a tree being planted. It’s like a new birth.” - Frank Lockyear, founder and past president of ReTree International. "Trees for Tomorrow: It Takes an Optimist to Plant a Tree" That was the theme for ReTree's Second Annual Dinner and Silent Auction on January 12 with guest speaker Vic Atiyeh. Recipients of Frank Lockyear Leadership Awards at the Second Annual Dinner and Silent Auction, January 12, 2008. From left- Lee Webb, Governor Vic Atiyeh, Virgil Witcher, and Ross Roe There was a full house on January 12 as ReTree held it's second annual fundraising dinner and silent auction with former Oregon governor Vic Atiyeh as the keynote speaker. Ross Roe, of Grants Pass, who has been the driving force behind the annual Josephine County tree plants was presented with a Frank Lockyear Leadership Award. In February Ross will lead the 19th edition of this program begun in cooperation with ReTree founder Frank Lockyear. See Upcoming Events for more details. Also receiving awards were Lee Webb, retired Forest Service bioligist and longtime photographer of the Josephine County program; and Virgil Witcher, retired Josephine County forester, who has been an integral part of every one of these tree plants. Many thanks to those who attended and contributed to ReTree's work and to those who couldn't attend but made contributions, including the individuals and merchants who donated items for the silent auction. Once again the event was a great success. Trees For Tanzania Tree Planting with Africa Bridge In January of 2008 the 3rd annual Trees for Tanzania tree planting program took place in the Rungwe District of SW Tanzania. ReTree once again supported this effort working with Africa Bridge, another Oregon nonprofit. Africa Bridge has been working in the Isongole Ward for several years now trying to help create solutions for the people there suffering through the AIDS/HIV crisis. Africa Bridge recently announced its plans to move into the nearby Masoko Ward to establish programs similar to those in Isongole Ward. ReTree has been asked to come along and assist in setting up more tree plants and to help establish environmental education opportunities. The plans are for the initial tree plant to take place in January of 2009. The first step will be to begin growing the seedlings needed for that ward by this spring. We plan on increasing the size of the current nursery in order to provide the seedlings for both Isongole and Masoko Wards for 2009. Many thanks again to our other partner, the Wildlife Conservation Society, an international conservation organization that runs the Southern Highlands Conservation Program, started in 2000 to conserve important upland habitats and species across southwest Tanzania. For the last two years ours groups have maintained a cooperative venture in growing seedlings. WCS also has a tree planting program established. Peter Chibawaye, Rungwe District forester, has been managing the nursery for ReTree and providing technical support for our tree plants. He performs the same duties with WCS so we agreed to share resources in maintaining these nurseries. Peter ran this year's successful plantings and reports that about 5,000 seedlings were planted by schoolchildren in villagers in 7 villages. Click here to read more about the Trees for Tanzania Project or here to view the trip report for the 2007 plant. Go to Tanzania Pictures to see pictures from the project area. Mexico Tree Plant ReTree's Tony Sandoval (l) helps unload seedlings in San Blas ReTree has been involved in tree planting in Nayarit state since 2004. There have been three plants to date. Last year a new government was elected. It appears there will be a greater emphasis on environmental issues. The new president has stated he wants to see 250 million seedlings planted annually. The mayor in nearby Tepic led planting efforts resulting in 44,000 seedlings planted last year. It's been announced that state nurseries will provide free seedlings to anyone who has a project. So far results have been promising. According to ReTree's Tony Sandoval, this year's seedlings were much healthier than last year's. Read more about this project at Mexico Tree Plant. Planting a Billion Trees People and groups from around the world are encouraged to enter pledges at- Plant a Billion Trees. The campaign is open to all- individuals, children, schools, community groups, NGO's, corporations, governments, etc. Each pledge can be anything from a single tree to 10 million trees. Other facts from the Billion Tree Plant website- *Trees are the largest and longest living organisms on earth. *To make up for the loss of trees in the past decade, we would need to plant 130 million hectares (or 1.3 million km2), an area as large as Peru. *Covering the equivalent of 130 million hectares would entail planting approximately 14 billion trees every year for 10 consecutive years. This would require each person to plant and care for at least two seedlings a year. *Rainforests cover only 7 per cent of the land on earth but they contain nearly half of all the trees on earth. They generate about 40 per cent of the world’s oxygen. *In one year, an average tree inhales 12 kilograms (26 pounds) of CO2 and exhales enough oxygen for a family of four for a year. *One hectare of trees can absorb 6 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. *A long haul flight will produce 3.75 tonnes of CO2 (or one tonne of carbon). *Forests cover 30 per cent of the planet’s total land area. The total forested area in 2005 was just under 4 billion hectares, at least one third less than before the dawn of agriculture, some 10,000 years ago. (100 hectares is the same as 1 square kilometre). *Forests are unevenly distributed. The ten most forest-rich countries, which account for two-thirds of the total forested area, are the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States, China, Australia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Peru and India. Upcoming Events: -2007-8 Guy Miller Tree Planting Program -Mexico Tree Plant Read about ReTree's efforts in Nayarit state as we plan for the 2008 plants. -Annual Josephine County Tree Plant This year's 19th edition will take place in the Grants Pass area February 7-9. Recent Events: -Trees for Tanzania Tree Plant, January, 2008 -WeCare in Sierra Leone (scroll down page) "When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope. We also secure the future for our children. I call on those around the world to celebrate by planting a tree wherever you are." Dr. Wangary Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate How Can I Help?

Mission Statement | Upcoming Events | Sponsors | Accomplishments | Links | Board Members | How Can I Help?