The Arbor Day Foundation, CHEP and Brambles, CHEP’s parent company and a global supply-chain logistics leader operating in more than 60 countries, have announced a partnership that will plant trees in the United States and France. At a recent event, Brambles and CHEP kicked off the partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation by donating $75,000 to begin the reforestation projects. As part of their commitment, Brambles and CHEP will plant 60,000 trees in the Mississippi River Valley and 5,000 trees in the Landes region of France this year.
“We applaud Brambles and CHEP for becoming stewards of forests both in the U.S. and abroad,” said Dan Lambe, president, Arbor Day Foundation. “Because of their commitment, the trees planted will provide cleaner air and water as well as restore natural wildlife habitat.”
This bottomland hardwood ecosystem of the Mississippi River Valley is one of the most important critical wetland resources on the North American continent. Originally covered with 25 million acres of forestland, less than 5 million acres of this precious resource remain forested. This has resulted in a decline in wildlife, a loss of natural flood control, a decrease in water quality, and an increasing dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. This reforestation project will directly improve water quality by filtering out pollutants in the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, bringing sustainable and flourishing life back to these lands.
“Working with the Arbor Day Foundation is a natural collaboration – trees are at the heart of what we both do,” said Laura Nador, president, CHEP North America. “Supporting reforestation projects in the Mississippi River Valley and France is a very tangible way for both the Arbor Day Foundation and CHEP to demonstrate our joint commitment to protecting our forests and the environment.”
Brambles and CHEP participation in the Landes region of France is part of a larger project that represents almost 100 hectares, which were destroyed during the storm Klaus in 2009. Through reforestation, the landowners will revive a devastated and abandoned ecosystem, provide for biodiversity and maintain the forest cover within the largest artificial forest in Europe.
