At Livelihood Projects, we keep track of the impact we are making together using three main statistics.
Total Number of Trees & Plants Planted
This one is pretty self explanatory. Since we organize and plant the trees ourselves, we simply add up all the trees and plants we've put in the ground to date. We do not have to rely or trust on the numbers of a third-party non-profits or organizations. As we plant, we count, and you can join us in planting and counting as well by signing up to volunteer.
As for our planting approach, each city and planting location has different requirements for the species and size of the tree, so the number of trees per $1,000 may vary; however, we will prioritize quantity or plants over the maturity of the plant. For example, between these two options:
- Plant 500 trees & plants that are 3 to 8 feet tall
- Plant 100 trees & plants that are 20 to 30 feet tall
We would choose option 1.
Pounds of CO2 Stored Annually
According to a study by the European Environment Agency, a mature tree will store 48 pounds of CO2 every year and release oxygen into the atmosphere in exchange. We multiply the total number of trees and plants we've planted by 48 to estimate the total number of pounds we will store annually.
We do want to note that there are better, more scientific ways of calculating to get a more accurate number, but we'd rather spend those resources on planting more and making a greater impact.
Acres of Native Habitat Restored
To calculate the total number of acres we've planted, we divide the total number of trees and plants we plant by 50.
Why 50? The United States Forest Service states that a healthy U.S. forest has between 30 to 50 trees. We divide using the highest number so that our acreage falls on the lower end to estimate how many acres of habitat we are restoring.
Sources
USDA
Forest Service
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