FAQ

Unfortunately, this is difficult to answer in general terms - on the one hand because different tree species absorb different amounts of carbon and on the other hand because trees absorb different amounts of carbon during their different stages of development. 

In the first few years, the young trees bind relatively little CO2. But as soon as they grow in height, a lot of CO2 is absorbed. The amounts vary depending on the tree species, light intensity, water and nutrient availability at the location, etc. The older trees get, the more biomass is produced, but at the same time they also lose leaves and branches, and of course individual trees can also die, so that a certain amount CO2 is released again. In the meantime, new trees are growing naturally, so that a balance is created in the forest over time and the biomass can be used to determine exactly how much CO2 is bound in the forest in total. The creation of permanent forests is always the goal of our projects.

The specification of the absorption capacity of a tree is therefore always only a rough average value. As a rule of thumb it can be said that a tree absorbs an average of 22 kg of CO2 per year. This value is higher for projects near the equator, e.g. Nicaragua, since the trees can grow all year round due to a year-round vegetation period and are not slowed down in their growth by winter, as is the case here in Germany.

Source: European Environmental Agency

Basically, the benefit of trees compensating CO2 and protecting climate is given worldwide, no matter where emissions are caused and emitted.

There are several reasons why we decided to plant the trees in the Global South. Because there we can achieve a lot on a social, ecological and economic level at the same time:

1. The social leverage is greater here, as together with our partners we attach great importance to local social interests. Thus, the local communities are offered the opportunity for education and training. In addition, the cultural traditions and needs of the local communities are strictly taken into account.

2. The ecological leverage is also much greater, as many more trees can be planted with the same budget due to lower wages and costs for the reforestation areas.

3. Finally, we can achieve more on the economic level: Together with our partners, we plant trees where poverty is very high, so that local communities can be strengthened through long-term employment and income opportunities. In this way, a positive idea of "sustainability" can also find its way into countries where climate protection has often been seen as a brake on development.

These ideas are based on the three-pillar model of sustainable development, which is based on the idea that sustainable development can only be achieved through the simultaneous and equal implementation of environmental, economic and social goals.

We started our tree planting journey with partners in Nepal and Madagascar. Most of the plantations in Nepal are located near Pokhara. In Madagascar, we currently support projects in two national parks where the habitat for endangered species can be secured. Other plantations are located in the Northwest of Madagascar, both on the coast and inland. 

We’ve established partnerships with Tree Planting Partners across: Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi.

Recently, we have launched our first pilot tree-planting project in India. This project is taking place in northern India in the municipal corporation of Abohar and other neighbouring villages in the Indian states of Rajasthan and Punjab. We’re very excited to be extending our reach and contribution and will soon introduce our new partners and the inspiring work they do on our Blog & Social Media Channels.

Since we try to keep the costs per tree as low as possible (and to be able to plant even more trees!), we do not offer geotracking of individual trees. Geotracking is very expensive due to the high administrative effort - and with the same budget, more trees can be planted.  

GROW MY TREE plants species-rich mixed forests, the majority of which are suitable for the location native tree species consist. Thus become trees planted that would naturally also occur at the planting site.

It is our goal to plant sustainable forests. The planted forests are therefore established for the long term and are under permanent protection. We and our partners work very closely with the local agricultural cooperatives to guarantee the long-term preservation of the afforestation areas. We also plant mixed forests of native tree species rather than low-cost monocultures to ensure high survival rates and guarantee that an organic and resilient forest can grow.

At the same time, about 10% of the trees are planted as so-called agroforestry species: Local farmers are provided with avocado or mango trees, for example, which they can cultivate themselves and thus secure their income. This ensures that the incentive for illegal logging is counteracted and that the smallholders recognise the potential of sustainably securing their own forests.

Trees that have been bought or given away become the property of whoever made the areas available for the plantings. Your purchase will finance the acquisition and planting of tree saplings as well as the organizational work of GROW MY TREE.

In order to ensure the growth of the small tree saplings and the emergence of a new forest, we work with permanent partners who have many years of experience with reforestation projects. This ensures that small plants between 30 and 100 cm in length can grow for decades - and in this process they constantly break down carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the air.

Our price is a mixed calculation of the costs for planting and long-term monitoring of the trees, which vary from project to project, and the costs for running our online shop.

Our price is quite low - yet we do not plant cheap monocultures, but only those mixed forests that fit the local flora and fauna and have the best survival rates.

We are on a mission to make tree planting easy and offer it at a fair price - this is the only way we see to make a maximum contribution to fight climate change together.

For this reason, we do not offer inspection options, tree certificates, photos or the personalization of trees. In order to keep the costs per tree as low as possible for you, we try to keep that whole process, from choosing your option for buying trees to planting the trees as lean as possible.

Yes, GROW MY TREE has published an impact report and we are very happy to be able to share our impact and results with you! You can read the full report here.

Sure, of course! In our GROW MY TREE blog, on Instagram and Facebook you will find many valuable tips on how to easily live a sustainable life and make a contribution to CO2 compensation can afford.

If you follow us there, subscribe, like and maybe even share one or two posts with your friends, you will support us in reaching even more people with our sustainability messages.

We are currently working on a tree subscription that will allow you to plant trees regularly with our help. We'll keep you up to date, just subscribe to ours Newsletter.

We decided against it, to offer you individual photos of the financed trees or to personalize trees with signs, because this would significantly increase the price for the trees planted. We want your contribution to plant a maximum number of trees! You can add the personal touch with a creative card or personal words when giving away - that's much nicer anyway :)

You can find inspiration and tips for giving trees at Give trees as a gift.

Sure, write a short post on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest and mention @growmytree in your post. This will inspire others to lead a more sustainable everyday life and to plant trees :)