by allowing riparian trees and plants natural water filters to flourish
created increasing opportunities for sustainable long-term employment
sequestered from the atmosphere on average each year
reforested so far, with a mixture of native hardwood and cottonwood trees
have partnered with the project to reforest their land
This project is part of the grouped Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Reforestation Initiative, which aims to reforest one million acres throughout the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois. Considered North America’s rainforest, this region is a vital habitat for migratory birds and numerous plant and animal species.
Working across an entire landscape, the project sequesters large amounts of carbon and generates further environmental benefits. Water quality is enhanced by the tree roots: they reduce soil erosion and sediment and absorb farm chemicals from groundwater and surface runoff, preventing contamination of streams. In fact, for every 1 acre of farmland that is reforested, 15.5 lbs/year of Nitrogen and Phosphorus will be kept out of the Mississippi River. Reforested land also provides protected habitat for local native wildlife such as waterfowl (60% of all US bird species migrate along the Mississippi). The project further enhances species biodiversity by improving ecosystem interconnectivity through unifying previously fragmented forested areas an effect that will enhance with time as the hardwood forests mature.
