Planting Our Future
“Planting Our Future” project, supported by the International Visegrad Fund, aims at exchanging of know-how of the planting trees programs in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. It will result in creating the common CZ-SK-PL Strategy for Planting Our Future and contributing to the European level.
In the context of today’s climate challenge, trees are not just positive symbols, but effective tools for mitigating the effects of climate change involving local communities.
Context of the project:
Planting Our Future initiative involves people in the planning, planting and care of trees, which are symbols of togetherness among people and nature.
The goal is to return the trees to the settlements and the open countryside, wherever they are needed. In particular, to localities where functional green infrastructure is missing or disrupted. An important part of the approach of the Planting Our Future is the support of local communities – active municipalities, schools, civic associations. The initiative includes educational and demonstration activities to raise awareness of the importance of trees in the homelands.
Tree planting and tree care is a concrete and useful way towards a sustainable future: making the landscape more beautiful and healthy, more varied and, above all, more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Each tree affects the microclimate, absorbs carbon from the atmosphere and retains water. Each tree creates living conditions for other plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms. Every tree is part of an ecosystem important for our future.
At the beginning of 2024 partners from Czechia, Slovakia and Poland started the information exchange on the planting projects implemented in each country and decided to create a joint project. There is a need for a partnership to exchange knowledge and experience and create a joint strategy for the Central European Planting Our Future program scheme, a common marketing and financial mechanism that contributes to the broader European level.
In the context of today’s climate challenge, trees are not only symbols, but also effective tools for mitigating the effects of climate change.
The key issue is to involve local communities in the process in order to raise awareness, build bridges among generations and create a backbone for the sustainable future. There are community-based planting trees initiatives already started on national levels in Czechia, Slovakia and Poland, such as Czech Planting for the Future program (Sázíme budoucnost) by Nadace Partnerstvi, Slovak Planting the Future initiative (Sadíme budúcnosť) by Nadacia Ekopolis and Polish Tree Day (Święto Drzewa), an ecological education program on environment and climate protection – supported by planting and protecting trees and shrubs initiated by Klub Gaja over 20 years ago (and supported by Fundusz Partnerstwa). All of these programs combined efforts in order to: protect the environment, support community projects in the long-term and to grow the interest of people in combating the climate crisis.
Initiatives involved thousands of people in the planning, planting and subsequent care of trees, which are symbols of harmony among people and nature. Taking into account all of the experience and know-how, there is a need for creating a common Central European model scheme for tree planting. For this it is necessary to exchange the methodologies in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland and to create the common CZ-SK-PL strategy and brand for Planting Our Future that will contribute to the European level.
Planting Our Future model scheme in Central Europe
The project will create a model scheme of the Planting Our Future program aimed at implementing community-based tree planting and tree care projects in Central Europe. The model will consist of methodology of implementation, common principles, description of the brand, marketing and financial strategy. The goal of the Planting Our Future initiative is to enhance the resilience of landscapes and cities to the impacts of climate change through community tree planting and follow up care. Community tree plantings are proven to be a highly effective tool for strengthening community life, people’s connection to the places they live, and their relationship with the landscape and soil, with positive impacts on the environment. The climate has always changed over time, but this time it is clear from measurements that human activity is the main contributor to global warming. For this reason, it is necessary to focus on eliminating the cause, i.e. reducing the concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. This is a global problem that will require the global involvement and cooperation of each of us.
The work does not end with planting trees, on the contrary. In order for newly-planted trees to survive, we must take care of their regular watering and thorough professional care. It is all the more important to choose the appropriate species composition and place for planting at the beginning of the planning and to prepare responsibly for the subsequent care of the planted trees.
Main project activities
Implementation period: October 2024 – March 2025
1/ Inauguration of the project – Planting tree events on the occassion of the Day of a Tree in October and November: Bielsko-Biała (Poland), Banska Bystrica (Slovakia) and Broumov (Czech Republic)
2/ A series of online meetings in order to exchange know how and develop the Planting Our Future Strategy.
3/ Arbor Conference in Brno on 6th od March 2025 (Czech Republic) and dissemination of the project concept.