TRCRC conducts nursery management training. Pictured here is the Kampung Klewang seedling nursery in Perak.
EARTH is home to over 3 trillion trees. Restoration ecologists have mapped out the global potential for restoration and estimated 0.9 billion hectares where trees can grow outside of urban and agricultural areas which is space for 1 trillion new trees.
In recent years, a global tree-planting movement has taken hold with the realised potential of trees as a nature-based solution to capture carbon from the atmosphere and get us closer to net zero emissions. There is an increased interest from the general public, government agencies, and corporate bodies to plant as many trees as possible, wherever possible.
Mobilising seedlings at TRLC Merisuli.
The demand for trees, at the speed and scale of desired restoration projects, may outstrip the supply of diverse planting materials. This mismatch poses real risks to the ecological integrity of tree-planting projects. The ‘simplicity’ of tree planting is an attractive solution.
However, reforestation is not a magic bullet. Tree planting is one of many solutions for reducing emissions and enhancing existing ecosystems. Before undertaking a restoration project: additional considerations must include the local ecology, deep on-the-ground knowledge, and the communities within the landscape.
A ‘greener’ supply chain
The Kew Gardens’ “Ten Golden Rules for Reforestation” highlights that poorly planned or executed tree-planting projects may lead to negative impacts, either to an erosion of biodiversity or a counterproductive increase in CO2 emissions. These Ten Golden Rules emphasise biodiversity, also known as the variety and variability of life on Earth. This variety and variability exist on three levels: ecosystems, genetics and species.
When carrying out a reforestation project, planning for a sufficient supply of high-quality planting material with an appropriate level of species and genetic diversity is crucial to ensuring the ecological integrity of the project.
Tree tagging helps TRCRC to identify their tree stock data effectively and efficiently, allowing for easy identification of trees, tree control and maintenance management.
One way to think about this is in terms of the tree-planting “supply chain”.
In its simplest form, a supply chain transforms raw materials into finished products that go to market. For tree planting, the raw material is a seed, and the finished product is an ecosystem restoration to a functioning forest.
With the rise of conscious consumerism, more and more shoppers are making decisions that consider the social and environmental impact of their purchases.
Mobilising stakes to prepare a planting site in the Royal Belum Rainforest.
Consumers are going beyond looking at the final product, and emphasis is now shifting to the sustainability of the supply chain – from the sourcing of raw materials; the working arrangements of workers along the supply chain; and the fairness of the payments made to the producers.
On the topic of reforestation, these social and environmental considerations are just as important as they are in any other supply chain. Transparency and traceability are essential in ensuring a high-quality product reaches the end consumers. In this case, the traceability of planting material is important to ensure that the final product – a functioning forest ecosystem – is of high ecological and conservation value, is sustainable and has positive socioeconomic impacts on the people involved.
An interconnected ecosystem
To achieve a functioning forest ecosystem, we have to look beyond just tree planting. We need to ensure that the seeds are sourced from parent trees that have been identified (traceability) and that the sourcing of the planting material is done ethically with decent working conditions and fair pricing (transparency).
On the social front, we need to ensure that everyone involved in the process receives a fair and equitable wage. The entire process of producing planting material, from seed surveys, tree identification, seed collection, germination and nursery management, all the way down to the eventual tree planting, is an incredibly labour-intensive process that requires technical expertise and needs to be appropriately valued and compensated to ensure the sustainability of this industry.
Tree tagging in preparation for the next fruiting season.
Collecting seeds from the wild involves a multi-step process that can take up to several years before a tree goes into the ground. The process includes identifying target parent trees, tagging, monitoring and eventually a seed collection expedition once the tree has begun to fruit. The seeds are raised in a nursery for an extended period in preparation for reintroduction to the planting site – yet another step in the supply chain.
Throughout the years of growing the trees in the nursery, the work continues to add to the biodiverse inventory of planting material. Preparation of planting sites also requires more labour, as pathways need to be created, holes need to be dug, and planted trees need to be monitored, maintained and replaced if necessary.
Seed collection using a big shot.
The final product, an actively restoring forest ecosystem, also needs to have a positive environmental impact. Not all trees planted have an equal impact.
Planting invasive species, or a plantation of a single (or very few) species, can have devastating environmental impacts. For instance, some invasive plants can smother other native species and can sometimes colonise habitats as they eventually displace the native species.
A sneak peek at TRCRC's seedlings buyback program with the local Jahai community at Royal Belum State Park.
This can be especially disastrous here in Malaysia, where our forests are characterised by a high level of species diversity, with as many as 435 tree species in a single hectare. Replacing these megadiverse ecosystems with a vast monoculture exposes the area to risks of pests, diseases, soil degradation and disturbed water systems.
Planting diverse forests also has a greater impact on the fight against biodiversity loss and climate change, as studies have found that higher tree species diversity is linked to higher animal diversity and higher carbon stocks both in the soil and in tree biomass.
Considering the many steps in achieving the desired result of a functioning forest, and the many people involved along the way, we urge you to consider the environmental and social impacts of tree-planting initiatives. Always do your due diligence to ensure that the projects you support align with global biodiversity and climate change goals. In the case of rainforest restoration, the priority is regeneration to a functioning forest that conserves native biodiversity, is a self-sustaining ecosystem, has a positive socioeconomic impact on the local community and contributes to the fight against climate change.
