This Week in Forest Finance, January 2
This Week in Forest Finance: from Niagara’s reforestation push to $100M Tunisian landscape grants, global efforts plant trees and who's funding them.
Niagara Tree-Planting Effort: NPCA, NRCAN, and 2 Billion Trees Program Lead Initiative
The Niagara Peninsula Tree Planting Partnership is inviting private landowners to participate in its Trees For All program, a local extension of Canada’s 2 Billion Trees initiative. This collaborative effort aims to restore the Niagara Peninsula watershed, one of Canada’s most biodiverse yet threatened regions, by encouraging private landowners in Niagara, Haldimand, and Hamilton to contribute to large-scale reforestation.
With a focus on mitigating climate change and enhancing ecosystems, the program emphasizes community engagement, sustainable practices, and long-term planning. By registering their properties, landowners can help shape this ambitious project to plant millions of trees and restore 600 hectares of natural cover by 2031. The project received a grant of $2 million beginning in 2024.
World Bank Grants Tunisia $100M for Landscape Restoration: Over 13,000 Hectares Apparently Restored
The World Bank granted $100 million to the Republic of Tunisia for the Integrated Landscapes Management in Lagging Regions Project, aimed at improving rural landscape management and economic opportunities in Tunisia's Northwest and Center-West regions.
Some areas, such as degraded cork oak forests, were reforested with eucalyptus—a choice noted for its environmental trade-offs. In other areas, cork oak and olive trees were prioritized for their ecological and economic benefits.
The project allegedly restored a total of 13,171 hectares of degraded land, surpassing a target of 11,800 hectares, and implemented sustainable practices like olive plantations and forest co-management agreements.
Despite budget reductions and restructuring, significant achievements include the reforestation of 65,122 hectares under co-management plans and improvements in local economic outcomes.
The Climate Trust Receives $7M in U.S. Forest Service Grants for Indigenous Carbon Projects and Forest Restoration
The Climate Trust has been awarded $7 million through two U.S. Forest Service grants under the Biden-Harris Administration's Inflation Reduction Act to advance climate-smart forest practices. A $2 million grant will fund the Tribal Reservation Allotment Carbon Enrollment (TRACE) program, creating a pilot carbon market project that aggregates small, fractionated parcels owned by Tribal members.
The remaining $5 million will support the Enabling Reforestation and Afforestation Success (ERAS) program, which provides payments to private landowners for forest restoration and wildfire risk reduction efforts in Montana, Oregon, and the Great Lakes region. These initiatives aim to improve tree regeneration, reduce forest health threats, and promote carbon storage while supporting underserved landowners and Indigenous communities.
Sources
Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. Trees for All Program. January 27, 2023. Retrieved from https://npca.ca/newsroom/article/trees-for-all-program.
Natural Resources Canada. Contributions in Support of the 2 Billion Trees Program. 2024. Retrieved from https://search.open.canada.ca/grants/record/nrcan-rncan,115-2024-2025-Q2-15704,current.
World Bank. Implementation Completion and Results Report: Integrated Landscapes Management in Lagging Regions Project (IBRD-87220). December 20, 2024. Report No. ICR00224. Retrieved from https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099122324150093316/pdf/BOSIB1d9008a5308c1b10a152e14bc5c3b1.pdf.
PR Newswire. The Climate Trust Named Recipient of Two U.S. Forest Service Grants Totaling $7 Million. April 18, 2023. Retrieved from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-climate-trust-named-recipient-of-two-us-forest-service-grants-totaling-7-million-302331585.html.
Edited by Chris Harris
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