Your Company Forest in action in Tanzania
Through your Company Forest, your organisation will plant trees and restore ecosystems in vital landscapes across three countries. Here’s what that work is achieving in Tanzania.
Tanzania: why it matters
From biodiversity-rich forests in the Usambara Mountains to the vast ecosystems of Katavi, Tanzania is a place where trees and farming communities have long depended on each other. Yet in recent years deforestation and unsustainable land use have degraded soils, reduced water supplies and left people more at risk from the effects of a changing climate. Restoring trees here means restoring the foundations that food security, clean water and community resilience depend on.
How we plant trees here
Company Forest donations plant trees in our project in Lushoto District, near the Usambara Mountains, delivered in partnership with the Changamoto Youth Development Organization (CYDO). The CYDO focus their work on the spaces people gather every day – health centres, schools and places of worship – so that newly planted trees are seen, valued and cared for by the neighbourhoods who’ll depend on them.
The trees we plant
So far, 35,128 trees have been planted in the grounds of Mbula B’ Primary school, Irshaad Islamic centre, Lushoto Lutheran church, Malibwi dispensary and Mlola Health centre. The nursery that supplies the Lushoto District project has also been restocked with more than 50,000 seedlings, ready for the next round of planting. This community nursery grows a range of species suited to the Usambara landscape, including Syzygium chordata (Waterberry), a native fruit-bearing tree that supports local biodiversity and food supplies.
How we look after them
At Mbula B Primary School, pupils work with the CYDO monitoring team to measure tree growth and learn about reading the same signs of healthy development that community nursery workers watch for every day. This hands-on involvement in checking trees, means that every tree is actively cared for by the people it grows alongside.
How these trees will help
Food and livelihoods
This work is transformative for rural households in Tanzania. Fruit trees planted on farms and in community spaces generate food and income from surplus harvests. Agroforestry species improve the soil that crops grow in, increasing yields while reducing dependence on costly fertilisers.
Lazaro Mkwama, a farmer in Tanzania who has planted over 200 fruit trees alongside his crops, describes what this looks like in practice: “Every year the trees produce more fruits, so every year I get more benefits from the trees – not just income, but improved nutrition.”
Water and soil
Restored forests protect the water catchment areas that communities downstream depend on, slowing rainfall runoff and strengthening the soil's ability to hold water through dry periods. Across Tanzania, regaining tree cover means rebuilding the land's capacity to sustain the people and ecosystems around it.
Climate
Where communities are already being affected by more variable rainfall and longer dry seasons, agroforestry is helping farms adapt and become more resilient. In 2025, 651 households affected by climate change in Tanzania were supported thanks to the power of trees.
Wildlife and biodiversity
Native trees planted across the Lushoto District are returning biodiversity to an area under sustained pressure. As tree cover increases, the habitats for birds, insects and other wildlife dependent on healthy ecosystems grow with it.
And that’s not all…
Every morning, Saumu Salimu checks on rows of seedlings in a community tree nursery near the Usambara Mountains, watching for the signs that tell her which ones are ready to be planted out and which need a little longer. It’s painstaking work, but it’s changed her life.
“This has enabled me to earn an income, which has become my source of a livelihood, to meet my needs and sustain my entire family.”
Salimu is one of many people whose lives are being transformed, showing that the impact of a Company Forest in Tanzania goes well beyond the trees themselves. For Issa Mohammed Abdi, a teacher at Usevya Secondary School, these benefits show through his school’s environmental club.
“We started by potting 1,000 seedlings which we later planted. Since then, we’ve grown over 11,900 trees in our nursery. These trees will provide different fruits to the students and enhance our school. We’ll enjoy shade during the dry season and earn income from the sale of seedlings to the community.”
45,760 trees were planted in school grounds, public spaces and smallholder farms across Tanzania last year, bringing better nutrition, extra income and richer soil to the communities involved.
Start your Company Forest
All of this thanks to your Company Forest.
Every £2 donated plants a tree which is monitored, maintained and reported on for years to come while providing holistic benefits back to the community who plant it.
As a Company Forest partner, you will receive regular updates and stories from the landscapes your investment is restoring – everything you need to share this positive impact with your teams, customers and stakeholders.
To find out what a Company Forest could look like for your organisation, get in touch today.
ITF in numbers
Over 100 years of community-led restoration
Over 8.8 million trees planted in the last 12 years
7590 hectares of forest conserved or restored in 2025
0 shareholders - ITF is a registered charity, so no profit is taken out and every pound you invest stays in the mission.
Support for 50 local community organisations to increase their forestry and agroforestry capacity
80% or higher tree survival rate across all our projects thanks to our participatory monitoring and GIS data
Progress on 8 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, delivering benefits for people and the planet
Why businesses choose ITF
“Partnering with the ITF lets us turn our values into action, every tree planted is a small step toward a healthier planet, and that's something Strand Europe Ltd is proud support.”
Strand Europe
“Thank you for making it so easy for us and our customers to be part of something meaningful. Looking forward to continuing this partnership!”
Get Laid Beds
“We believe nature is worth investing in. We're proud to support projects that help people, wildlife, and the planet thrive together. ”
Famille
Delivering restoration for global partners
