You Plant This Tree

Torraspapel, in collaboration with Acciónatura (previously Fundació Natura), completed a 10,000-piece puzzle; that is, it planted 10,000 trees to repopulate the Atlantic Coast Rainforest in the upper basin of the Itajaí River in the state of Santa Catarina (Brazil). The reforestation of 10 hectares took place during the months of July and August of 2005. This is the optimal time of year for planting and for subsequent maintenance in this part of Brazil.

Our clients are an essential part of this project; simply because of the confidence they've placed in us, we planted a tree for them so that our world could breathe better.

AIM
"Plant This Tree" was a project that reflects Torraspapel's desire to further its efforts to promote sustainable development and social responsibility.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ZONE
The "Mata Atlántica" is a very important forest ecosystem that has undergone intense deforestation during the past century. Of its original surface, which covered the whole strip of Brazil's Atlantic Coast and constituted 15% of Brazil's territory, there is only 7.8% left today. After Madagascar's rainforest, it is the planet's second most threatened biome.

This rainforest is particularly rich in terms of biodiversity, with some 454 tree species per hectare. It plays an essential role in regulating the area's climate and in soil conservation in hilly terrain.

ACTIONS
The project consisted of replanting plots to interconnect remaining fragments of rainforest to serve as biological bridges.
Project goals:

• Recovery of soil and erosion control.
  
  
• Recovery of a very important natural habitat.
  
  
• Creation of biological bridges among the remaining fragments of "Mata Atlántica" to prevent climate change.
  
  
• Produce between 2 and 3 tons of CO2 per hectare per year to fight against climate change.
  
  
• Create local employment through reforestation and plant life maintenance.
  
  

Acciónatura signed a cooperation agreement with the local Apremavi organization to carry out the reforestation.
Since 1988, Apremavi has been working in restoring and improving the "Mata Atlántica". It has a forest nursery that produces some 600,000 plants per year; almost 80 species of native trees.

RESULTS
"You Plant This Tree" was part of Acciónatura's project entitled "Plant your tree."

Thanks to this project, 16,000 trees (of over 20 different species) were planted in the state of Santa Catarina. 10,000 of these trees were planted in Torraspapel's name.

For further information on the collaboration between Acciónatura and Apremavi, please visit the website www.accionatura.org