Earth Day Network Plants 350,000 Trees in Uganda

December 17, 2012 KAMPALA, Uganda – Earth Day Network completed a tree-planting project in central Uganda today that saw 350,000 trees planted in three high-poverty districts: Kiboga-Kyankwanzi, Kayunga and Kamuli. “I’m happy to have planted Calliandra trees as a fence on my land,” said Henry William Kunduba, a farmer in Balawori Kamuli. “I also use them to feed my goats. I need more Calliandra so that I can plant on all my land.” Earth Day Network planted the trees as the first phase of its September 2012 commitment to the Global Poverty Project to plant 10 million trees in impoverished areas of the world in five years. In the Kiboga-Kyankwanzi District, farmers are planting trees for fuel wood, animal fodder, construction materials, and intercropping. In the Kayunga District, families are planting trees for timber, to prevent soil erosion and mitigate the effects of storms, and to create living fences to protect their land from being seized by corrupt and influential farmers. In the Kamuli District, farmers are planting trees to create boundaries on their land and to provide fodder for cattle, which they are keeping to produce raw material for a biogas project in the district. “My pigs did not have a shelter, but the trees I planted have created a forest for my pigs, and I also get firewood,” said Jaja Namboyere, a farmer in Basuutu Kyankwazi-Kibogo. The plantings are the latest installment for Earth Day Network’s Canopy Project, which has planted over 1.2 million trees in 18 countries since 2010. “Rather than focusing on large-scale forestry, The Canopy Project plants trees that bolster local economies and help communities sustain themselves,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. “We’re proud to work with our partners to do that in these areas of Uganda.” The project in Uganda was made possible by a grant from The UPS Foundation and carried out in partnership with Trees for the Future and local farmers. “The UPS Foundation is honored to support Earth Day Network’s efforts to plant trees in the areas of the world where they’re most needed,” said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation. “Our goal is to fund powerful programs that make a lasting difference to global ecosystems. Earth Day Network is an integral partner in our UPS Global Forestation Project.” To learn more about Earth Day Network’s Canopy Project, go to http://bit.ly/UrxKG7.