Meet Reforest Now, Our New Australian planting partner

Once upon a time in Australia, stood a great forest. Starting from the northern tip of Queensland down the east coast, through Brisbane and all the way down to Canberra. This forest was home to millions if not billions of plant and animal species, teeming with life and lively as ever.

But then…

The Australian east coast and its much valued real estate were divided up by new developing urban centers that turned into major cities. Farmland in need of pasture space also took its share, not to mention mining and industrial entrepreneurship meant to boost the local economy. All after land, as cities need to grow, people need to be fed, and electricity need be provided.

And so, where a vast forest once flourished, now mere patches of forested land remain, remnants of the past.

Luckily, someone is doing something about it! 

Meet Reforest Now, an Australian NGO working to reforest and conserve the tropical and subtropical rainforests of Australia. Reforest Now works in Northern NSW from Nightcap National Park, Big Scrub rainforest and its surroundings and up to the northern Daintree rainforest and its huge variety of animal and plant species.

A few different groups and organizations have been doing amazing work conserving and reforesting the area. Standing out from the pack, Reforest Now is the only one that includes both an NGO style of planting (donation-based) while also offering volunteers a chance to grab a shovel and pitch in. 

With its nursery based in Mullumbimby, Reforest Now grows over 100 species and does its planting where forests were cut down to make space for agricultural land. Reforest Now grows its own trees to ensure a wide range of native species, both endangered and critically endangered are grown.

Seed collecting is a major part of what makes Reforest Now special. While collecting seeds may sound easy, it is a very important and difficult part of the process. It's essential to maintain as large a base of seeds as possible, collected from many different trees to expand the genetic diversity and achieve better long term forest resilience. Reforest Now devotes countless hours on effective seed collection ensuring stronger tree families are able to grow with a higher survival rate.

Sharing their passion for reforestation, Reforest Now involves the local community along its journey - with community tree plantings and volunteer days in the nursery. These days working together doing something good and enjoying the wild are special and put a smile on everyone's face.  

We are proud to join forces with Reforest Now and help reforest a part of what was once a mighty forest. We have begun funding Reforest Now in February and will continue to do so in the coming future. Our first trees are already making themselves comfortable in the nursery, getting ready to be planted in March. We will update with photos and the exact location of planting in future posts so please stay tuned. 

For more information and to make direct contributions, please visit Reforest Now!

Click here to plant a tree and make a difference!