FIREWATCH X One Tree Planted — More Than Planting Trees: The In’s-&-Outs of Forest Restoration
by Marcus Thompson & Kyleigh Hughes
There’s nothing like driving up California’s coast through Big Sur’s winding cliffs, redwood bark on one side, and the cool, salty ocean on the other.
Embarking north of Redding through the middle of the Shasta-Trinity national forest, rewarded with the stark volcanic majesty of Mt. Shasta enveloped by a lush green forest.
Or better yet, getting your first glimpse of Yosemite Valley from the tunnel view. There’s so much natural historic architecture here enticing visitors from all over the world to flock to these areas of beauty.
Fast forward to:
- 2016: 6,959 Fires (669,534 Acres Burned)
- 2017: 9,270 Fires (1,548,429 Acres Burned)
- 2018: 7,860 Fires (259,823 Acres Burned)
- 2019: 7,335 Fires (1,666,286 Acres Burned)
- 2020: 8,648 Fires (4,304,379 Acres Burned)
- 2021: 8,835 Fires (2,568,948 Acres Burned)
(Source: Calfire Incident Archive)
With increasing temperatures due to climate change and other factors, the lands that we once knew, are becoming ghosts of their former glory right before our eyes. Forests are areas of public trust. This means that when they are affected, positively or negatively — we all feel the effects — near and far.
I sat down with Kyleigh Hughes, Strategic Partnerships and Project Manager at OneTreePlanted, to help me understand what this problem looks like on the front lines, and what it would take to remedy California’s fiery pandemic.
Understanding OneTreePlanted
OneTreePlanted: is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to make it easy for anyone to help the environment by planting trees.
They’ve planted over 40 million trees in more than 47 countries across the globe since 2014 — and in 2021, more than doubled their impact from 2020 — with 23.5 million trees.
Their list of partners includes global brands like Adidas and PepsiCo — and we are so proud to join that list of partners to bring FIREWATCH to fruition.
What is FIREWATCH?
In response to this imminent danger; YML, a product-design agency based out of San Francisco saw an opportunity to do what they do best: solve problems through digital innovation with Silicon Valley speed. FIREWATCH is a direct-response project. Using NFTs and ethical blockchain technology, YML plans to raise over a million dollars in funds for the restoration of regions across California that are affected by catastrophic wildfires.
A budding partnership with OneTreePlanted
When it comes to doing work, we know our wheelhouse. It’s tech and design. Technology permeates our culture. It stretches its fiber-optic vines far and wide; reaching everyone with a phone, tablet, computer, or smart TV. The juxtaposition of tech and forestry, seems like an oxymoron, but we know:
None of us is as strong as all of us.
For that very reason we reached out to several organizations who are passionately involved in this work, which ultimately led to our working relationship with OneTreePlanted, a Vermont based 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to make it easy for anyone to help the environment by planting trees.
It was their enthusiasm to work with us, and likewise ours to work with them, that became the seeds of what would blossom into a beautifully budding partnership with the ability to make an honest impact at scale.
Getting started with forest restoration
Restoring forests is a complex field of study that requires the expertise of people at the grassroots level who are invested in this work. OneTreePlanted specializes in planting seedlings native to regions worldwide, to restore forests that would otherwise take a lifetime to recover. Sounds simple, but the inner workings of returning a charred landscape to a sprawling spectacle teeming with life, requires a careful process to be successful.
Process in a nutshell
Similar to how humans go to the doctor for regular physicals, understanding the needs of a forest starts with a diagnosis. To do this correctly, first forest experts run calculations to evaluate Forest Resilience.
“For a forest to be resilient, it means that it can adapt and respond to a variety of climate stresses and still maintain its structure and composition.
So a highly resistant and resilient forest in California, means that it could withstand wildfires.”
— Kyleigh Hughes
Characteristics of a resilient forest
In order for a forest to be given the title of resilient, it has to have the following:
- Various types and species (biodiversity)
- Species that are adapted to fire (i.e, Ponderosa Pine)
- Diverse range of tree ages (0~100+)
- Mature trees with thick barks
With adequate biodiversity and these 4 elements in place, you have a forest that is typically able to resist wildfires and drought of a reasonable magnitude.
“Diversity is critical for any ecosystem, but is particularly necessary for us to consider a forest healthy.”
— Kyleigh Hughes
What happens if we do nothing?
In the wake of a blaze — the trees — the plants — the canopy — all or most of the elements of a healthy forest are completely wiped out. When this happens, it leaves a giant clearing of land, which allows for invasive shrubs and other species to quickly reproduce without competition.
This prevents the forest from being able to return to its original splendor.
If left alone, in many cases, the trees and forest as a whole will regenerate naturally. The problem with this method, is that it would most certainly take longer than a human lifespan to begin seeing a true resurrection.
“That’s where restoration plays a role in planting seedlings. It will take them a while to outcompete shrubs and grasses.
If we’re planting them, where they’ve already got root structures in place, they’ll have a much higher chance of establishing and out-competing those grasses that are inevitably going to be the first species on a landscape.”
— Kyleigh Hughes
Assessments are carefully planned and executed, but if we understand how to harmoniously intervene, what else could be keeping lands from getting the attention they deserve?
Money matters: Tools and Resources
From forest management to forest restoration — every stage requires assessment — every assessment requires resources — every resource requires capital ($$$).
In my conversation with Kyleigh, I was able to ask her about project setbacks and hindrances:
MT: Are there any specific barriers to success for these projects?
“I think it’s a mix of things. A big one is having the resources both financially and in terms of capacity in order to go to a site and do those assessments — And then there’s also unpredictability.
We live in a world where climate is a factor that we can’t predict more and more. So, if you have a severe drought year, or maybe you have an extremely wet year? There’s just no baseline in a lot of environments anymore.
So you just constantly have to adapt, while also adapting within the confines of the resources that you’ve been given for a specific project.” — Kyleigh Richards
Funding with FIREWATCH
Raising money for the environment, in itself, is an idea that’s as old as the trees. In the many years of OneTreePlanted’s operations, they’ve been approached by several organizations with partnership proposals. FIREWATCH plans to raise over a million dollars for Californian habitats — that withstanding, the integrity of the work and the land, are more important than the organization behind it.
MT: Have you all been approached by other groups like this? And if so, what differentiates FIREWATCH from some other digital platforms that you’ve seen?
KH: “There are other digital platforms that have featured our projects, but I think what really differentiates you guys is your willingness to be collaborative — treat us like we are the experts — and work with us to know where this funding will be best used.”
MT: Transparency and collaboration are certainly a part of our core values. In our initial conversations, what was it that stuck out that helped you and your team to see our authenticity and willingness to make a real impact in this work?
KH: [By] Asking those raw, real questions and getting to the bottom of it because a lot of time we are approached with these innovative ideas, but they’re very tailored to a specific industry’s needs or wants and not necessarily tailored to what the environment needs.
And it really seemed clear from the onset that you guys, you may not know necessarily what the priority is, but let’s find it and figure out how we can raise funds for that. And across the board, all the donors we’ve worked with, they’ve been fantastic. But this less sexy kind of proactive measures hasn’t been something that resonates.
And it’s something that’s so necessary. So it’s amazing that we’re able to now complement the work we’re already doing with proactive work like fuel reductions. That’s really going to help prevent wildfires from growing.”
