​Kenya has launched a new public holiday - National Tree Growing Day! And one of our projects in Upper Imenti Forest was selected to host the tree planting activities as part of this year’s celebrations.

“With its free-standing veteran oaks in semi-grazed grassland, the landscape at Breite resembles an English medieval deer park such as Richmond, Windsor or Blenheim. But here they are all maidens, whereas in England most of the oaks are pollards.”

Meet, Margaret, Miriam and Judith, smallholder farmers from Kisembe sub-location who are planting trees to build a more sustainable future and inspiring others do the same.

“We are often looking at the big picture, seeing landscapes being steadily restored. We see the forests and the woods but we also care about the individual tree.”

In Meru County, Kenya, Dorothy Naitore stands proudly amongst tree saplings. She explains how new trees are being planted in her homeland, and the benefits they bring.

A key element of this project is the creation of tree nurseries where local residents can grow native and threatened tree species.

“This act of vandalism is all the harder to come to terms with because of its sheer pointlessness. And out of this our collective mourning of this tree has revealed a curious paradox about our relationship to nature in the UK.”

This summer, two unforgettable family days unfolded at the enchanting Woodpecker Farm in Oxfordshire.

In the past few years, we have supported many projects, from urban planting in central Glasgow to community buyouts on the Isle of Skye and we would love to continue further with this.

There is an urgent need for a holistic approach to restore degraded areas and protect this important water catchment area. One way to do this is through community-led restoration.

In the UK, we desperately need more native trees. If you’re looking for a way to make a positive impact on the environment, join us this October for Plantober!

Summer ebbs away, the evenings begin to draw in and it won’t be long before the clocks change. And so the tree planting season gets under way.

Against the backdrop of a growing climate crisis, the Africa Climate Summit brought together governments, NGOs and philanthropists, to set out concrete and sustainable solutions for a climate-resilient Africa.

If these trees are not going to cause a danger to public safety, are they not best left to stand and fall in their own time?

In Dundori Forest, Kenya, a group of dedicated tree scouts are earnestly monitoring, watering and protecting newly planted trees.

“As I perch here quietly on a fallen log I feel a gentle internal shift towards organic time. It is a peaceful summer’s day in the forest, the sun shining through the oak and beech canopy.”

How we're supporting local community forest associations and self-help groups in Nakuru County Kenya to restore and protect Dundori Forest.

Collecting the firewood is an arduous task. Women and girls can spend hours each day on it. For some, this chore is at the expense of school and an education.

Climate change is taking its toll. Leaving communities grappling with the fear of food insecurity and watching in horror as their rivers and streams dry out.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”