Cataloger Aims To Reforest America
It’s one thing for a company to adhere to “green” initiatives geared toward a safer and healthier environment. But now, officials for cataloger/retailer Plow & Hearth plan to embellish that concept with a creative initiative of their own.
Having established its niche as a seller of “country living” products, Plow & Hearth wants to now give back to the environment.
Literally.
This week, company officials announced plans for a national initiative in conjunction with the National Forest Foundation. Known as “The Campaign to Reforest America,” company officials hope to restore natural habitats lost to forest fires and the effects of modern civilization.
Here’s how it works: For every order a customer places with Plow & Hearth, the company will donate one tree seedling to the National Forest Foundation. Customers can choose among several forests they would like to help revitalize.
Tree seedling donations will go to one of three National Forests in need of reforestation: The San Bernardino National Forest in California was hit by a lightning strike in September 2007, resulting in a fire that consumed more than 14,600 acres and deforested nearly 80% of the land; The Huron-Manistee National Forest in Michigan, a primary nesting habitat for Kirtland’s warbler birds, is feeling the effects of modern fire suppression techniques, which have prevented the removal of older trees and the release of seeds from pine cones that spur the growth of young forests; and Ocala National Forest in Florida has undergone a significant decline in its population of longleaf pine trees, threatening or endangering more than 30 plant and animal species dependent on the forest.
Along with the company’s environmental commitment is its “Planting Two for One(R)” program. Created in 1991, the program donates two seedlings for every tree used to create Plow & Hearth catalogs. Currently, the company has been responsible for the planting of more than 1.5 million trees in the state of Virginia.
Through these two environmental initiatives, the company set as a goal the donation of 1 million seedlings within one year. It’s something we all can admire.
