Our Approach
We find inspiring communities who are set on growing long-lasting forests (and their local economies), and then we fund their programs. Our goal isn’t just to get growth happening, but to make sure this is sustainable for the future.
Planning
Choosing a Location
Our partners select new forest locations based on geography and assessments of need. They also consider the potential for building strong relationships with local stakeholders, risk of overlap with the work of other organizations and availability of servicing the area. Additionally, a community’s willingness to participate is important, since strong programs require buy-in and participation to sustain forest projects over time.
Finding the Right Solutions
Context drives which forest solutions is appropriate for an area. Physical factors (such as terrain) play a major part, but so do cultural factors (like a community’s comfort level with the plantation design). We also need to make sure that the area can be serviced in the early years.
Selecting a Partner
We select partners based on how well they support our mission to help grow sustainable forests. We assess their experience, as well as other indicators of sustainability. In order to ensure that funds are used responsibly, we also look at their operational capacity and fiduciary responsibility. Every new or potential partner is subject to this vetting process. Meet our partners
Implementation
Establishing Best Practices
There are many ways to deliver forest services in Indonesia. We work with sector experts to know which approaches are most effective so we can continue to ensure that our programs utilize best practices in the field.
Determining Project Costs
There’s more to a project than seedlings, props and soil. Costs include salaries for engineers, foresters, community organizing and training. Field teams need a home base, so we often help cover partners’ local office expenses and support staff like accountants and managers.
Following Timelines
It can take weeks to transport materials over rough terrain or lay several kilometers of seedlings. Our teams spend months establishing community buy-in, promoting safe practices and building forest committee capacity to manage projects. The entire process takes about 21 months.
Working with Local Governments
Local government plays a major part in growing new forests. Our team and partners engage with community, district and regional leaders to plan out the projects that we’re going to fund. This strengthens local ownership and can help build local capacity to maintain projects for years to come.
Maintenance
Ensuring Sustainability
Each of our projects has a plan in place so that local stakeholders can make sure that forests grow long after planting. We invest in forming strong forest committees, partnering with local government, and training locals to perform servicing.
Monitoring & Evaluating
Understanding when projects aren’t functioning helps us learn how to make them more successful. Our Programs team ensures that all of our projects are carefully monitored during and after implementation. We frequently check up on our work in the field and we bring in external evaluators to independently assess projects.
Proving It
Proving It
In the end, we will map every completed project on our website using Google Maps and Global Forest Watch so supporters can see exactly where we work, the types of projects we fund in each area and the number of people being helped. Take a look at our work in progress
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