How Ecologi turns your purchases into planted trees

We talk a lot here at Natusan about our partnership with Ecologi, and how they fund trees with every one of your orders - but what actually happens once you click checkout, and how does that funded tree make its way into a forest?

With over 96,000 trees funded by Natusan customers so far, let’s take a closer look at how Ecologi’s tree funding process works and how all of those trees will end up in their supported sites!

How are the trees funded?

Ecologi works together with a range of reforestation partners around the world to make all of their funded trees a reality. The reforestation partners are the ones doing the work on the ground, and Ecologi funds them, allowing them to do their work and plant the specified number of trees within a reasonable timeframe. 

Some reforestation partners are funded monthly, some are funded quarterly, and some are funded per tree! Often, these partners will receive more funding at the start of a project, because there are bigger costs involved in getting started - including setting up nurseries to grow the trees that will eventually be planted.

When are the trees planted?

While every one of the trees funded by Ecologi will eventually be planted, this can’t always happen right away. With so many reforestation sites across different areas, there are various weather conditions, seasonal considerations, and other things to take into account when it comes to planting healthy trees that will survive and thrive. 

To maximise the survival rates of the newly planted trees, it’s best for the sites to plant them at the right time of year and when weather conditions are best. Ecologi states that every funded tree will be planted within a maximum of 18 months, giving the reforestation sites enough time to ensure the best possible conditions for planting, but they also state that all their trees so far have been planted much more quickly than this!

What other work do the planting partners do?

When they’re not out planting trees, there’s plenty of other important work to be done by our reforestation partners, including taking care of the nurseries, the seedlings, and the irrigation systems, and working together with local communities, as well as gathering cuttings and seeds for future trees.

All of this is why Ecologi talks about trees funded, rather than trees planted - but they can guarantee that every funded tree will be planted into a forest site! And these trees will have many benefits for both the environment and the local communities, from regulating water levels and providing shelter, to helping to create cooler and wetter microclimates in areas affected by increasingly hot and dry climates.