+11000 PALO SANTO trees planted in Ecuador

On Saturday, December 18 2021, from early at 08:00 a.m. we went to our nursery located in Santa Marianita to collect our 500 little palo santo trees previously prepared to be reforested.

The environment felt somewhat humid and cool, and when looking at the sky you could see the presence of many clouds. There was a doubt that the rain was coming, since in Ecuador for the month of December we are entering the winter season that is characterized by continuous rains. A very good time to reforest, since these first rains nourish our little trees.

The feeling that the reforestation day had to be postponed was latent among the teammates.

Even so, nothing stopped the enthusiasm we had for this reforestation, which we have spent months preparing for this activity, and giving up was not an option.

Once we arrived at the San Eloy - Montecristi site, via Ceibo Renacer, at around 09:00 we waited for the students from the Faculty of Agronomy of the Technical University of Manabí to meet there.

There was a little delay to start the day because due to the difficult access to the site where we were going to reforest, many of the students did not find the exact location. The road was dirt, with many hills and curves, with bushes and trees characteristic of the dry forest ecosystem. The signal was complicated, and limited communication a bit to guide the boys to reach the meeting point.

At 10:00 we were already complete, and the organization began in groups, as follows: we had 25 people among them 13 were students who were divided into 4 groups of 3. Each person was in charge of planting their little trees, with its own identification plate, which has a code that is entered into the EcuadorianHands app or geoportal. In order to maintain constant monitoring of the growth of palo santo trees and later carry out more studies in conjunction with the academy on this sacred wood and the ecosystem where it inhabits, such as the dry forest.

As a detail, I comment that we also had the presence of baby Fabrizio, son of Fabrizio Vera (President of EcuadorianHands), who together with his father planted his first tree. Although he is still too young to have a notion of what was happening, it was important because, as his father said: “You are never too young to plant a tree, teach your children to take care of the planet. The future is today!" we must be an example for the new generations and take care of our environment.

Before starting to plant the trees, each participant was given one of our red bracelets with the Palo Santo pearl, as a representation of the reforested trees and our commitment to take care of the environment of the dry forests of Manabí. Always thinking of giving back to Mother Nature all that she has generously given us.

During the reforestation days, the camaraderie was experienced, for many of the students, it has been gratifying to start this activity from scratch. Starting this experience, from the laying of the foundations of the new seedbed in Santa Marianita - Manta. Raise the guadua cane columns to shape the infrastructure. Then proceed to cover it with saran, which is a mesh that protects future germinated Palo Santo seeds from the inclement sun and wind.

As well as, the collection of seeds of different species in Lodana - Santa Ana canton. This was very important, although the palo santo is our favorite sacred wood. We must not forget that we must take care of and protect the ecosystem where the palo santo tree grows. Since this is only how it preserves its medicinal and aromatic properties that we love so much. And that is why it is vitally important to include the other species that make up the dry forest in our reforestation projects.

Learn about this process of construction of the new seedbed here.

It was a day that lasted approximately an hour and a half, at 11:00 am the planting of the trees was finished. And then there was a small conversation reflecting on the activity carried out. How grateful we were to each other, for sharing a space like this. We thanked our friend Dante Bolcato, who donated a number of trees to reforest, and that, although he could not be present on the day, his memory and company of him were pleasant during these 7 years that we have been reforesting.

Also, thank nature for giving us a cool and calm day that allowed us to enjoy the reforestation in a pleasant way. To have been in contact with the earth, and to feel its warmth and breath of life. In the end, they proceeded to deliver the palo santo soaps to the young people who participated in the reforestation in order to protect against bacteria or microorganisms that may be found in the soil.

In the end, we are all committed that we will return to San Eloy on January 22, 2022, to plant another group of 500 trees and thus be able to reach the number of 11,500 reforested trees in the dry forests of Manabí-Ecuador.

BACKGROUND

EcuadorianHands is a company located in Manta that has been developing reforestation practices since 2015, as part of a program of social/environmental responsibility, circular economy, and sustainable development of products derived from Palo Santo, such as palo santo sticks and palo santo essential oil.

Currently, with the 500 Palo Santo trees planted in San Eloy, we have more than 11,000 trees reforested in various areas of Manabí, especially in the El Artesan Forest and protective vegetation - EcuadorianHands located in Joa / Jipijapa, which is close to being declared Protective Forest and Vegetation by the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition.

This management model will be replicated in different areas of Manabí, managing to restore Dry Forests and guarantee their preservation for future generations. Learn more about our reforestation program here.

Join us for more activities that we will tell you on our social networks about our reforestation project for the Palo Santo tree and related species.

If you want to know about our experiences in other reforestations, you can read here.

Thanks to you who contribute to fair trade, acquiring products made in a sustainable way, together we do something to take care of the planet.