Everything you need to know about planting trees for your business

UPDATE 6th October 2023: There are now reports emerging that tree planting is not only pointless but can threaten biodiversity. With this in mind, I have paused all tree planting for Lumen & Fox until I have more information.

Affordable, quick and quantifiable, it’s easy to see why so many small businesses looking to do good turn to tree planting. Here, I give you the lowdown on planting trees for your business from the folk doing their bit to give back.

Why should I plant trees?

For SEO specialist Matt Tutt and writer Sarah Nunn, their passion for the natural environment – and forests in particular – inspired the decision to plant trees. (Read more about Sarah’s motives on her blog.) Copywriter Ed Callow hopes to balance his paper consumption as a “writer, reader, crossword do-er and unrepentant doodler”.

Accountant Claire Owen-Jones sums up the appeal of tree planting perfectly: “It feels quite tangible”.

How can I plant trees for my business?

Matt and Claire opt for monthly subscriptions. Others have made trees part of their client process.

For Sarah and Ed, every invoice paid equals a new leafy contribution. Ed says: “If the project isn’t under strict NDAs, I name the trees after the piece of work, and send the client a link so they can see the trees, too”.

Nicole Koenig uses tree planting to mark the highs of running a business: “To celebrate clients, projects and business upgrades”.

Trees are great, but what other benefits are there?

Of course, the big draw when planting trees for your business is making a positive impact on the environment. But what other upsides have tree planters noticed?

“It’s a great way for my business to attract new clients who are environmentally conscious,” says Sarah. Ed has found “it’s a good way to add some endorphins to the process of the client paying the invoice. The idea is that it’ll bring a smile and encourage the client to pay faster. It’s early days (I’ve been doing this a couple of months) but so far all of my invoices have been paid quickly, so I think it’s working!”

Doesn’t tree planting get a bad rap?

It’s true, whilst I heard from lots of people supporting tree planting schemes, I also spoke to many who weren’t sold on the idea. Let’s have a look at why.

Pull focus

Some worry that tree planting pulls focus away from the real issue: reducing our consumption of the planet’s resources. Copywriter Lily Karenza says: “I worry they’re used as justification for doing whatever you like”. Graphic and web designer Berenice Smith agrees: “I’d much rather start at the beginning – less unnecessary travel etcetera”.

Social media guide and coach Alexis Bushnell says: “{Tree planting} is on my road map, but at the moment I’m focused on reducing my own footprint and that of my business by creating less CO2 when I can”.

Slow gains

There’s also the fact that if the goal is carbon offsetting, it may be decades before the trees we plant are capable of achieving that goal.

Fran Cresswell at Get Offset explains: “Tree planting certainly has a more ‘sexy’ pull to it, but the reality is that if you’re planting trees, in most cases they take 10 to 20 years to reach their full carbon sucking potential. It’s definitely a long-term play”. She recommends balancing the future gains of tree planting with contributions to more immediate carbon offsetting projects.

Too little too late

Given the scale of the climate crisis, critics say tree planting is a bit like recycling or turning off the tap while you brush your teeth: it’s great to do it but none of us are single-handedly going to reverse the climate crisis with our actions.

Matt says: “I’m personally still in two minds as to whether {tree planting} is really going to make a huge difference overall. I’d love to say they will, but I think the scale of the problem is so vast that it’s going to require massive effort from a much higher authority (nationally, at a government level) before we see much change”.

A greenwashing tool

Given that tree planting has scale and efficacy issues, and given that it can detract from the larger problem of overconsumption, it’s ripe for abuse by greenwashing companies.

This report claims that the term ‘carbon footprint’ – upon which so many tree planting endeavours are founded – was popularised by BP to promote the idea that climate change is not the fault of big corporations but of individuals.

Ethical marketer Jane Shaw told me: “I used to offset but now choose not to. The business supports forest protection and tree planting initiatives, but for me offsetting has become so cynically manipulated that it’s not something I want to be part of”.

Ed says: “I’m always wary about environmental projects that place the onus on individuals rather than big companies. I don’t want to take the focus away from pressure on big polluting to make real, lasting change”.

Potential harm

So, tree planting could be considered a diversion tactic, ineffective in the short-term or like trying to stop a tsunami with a tea towel. But there’s more. “I’ve read that some schemes can actually be harmful,” says The Ethical Copywriter Rachel Baker.

Lily explains: “Sticking a sapling in the ground is not the end of it. Who will maintain the trees? Which species are being planted and where? Is biodiversity being managed well? Where are the trees grown and how are they transported to the site? Are they grown in peat? The possibilities for more harm being done by a well-intentioned act are endless”.

So should I just skip tree planting altogether?

Rebecca Kimber, CEO at Create.net, says no. “Whilst I completely understand the anxiety around greenwashing perceptions, I have 20 years of business carbon footprint to fix, plus my own, and my family’s. The right schemes in the right places buy us extra time and make the planet a better place for future generations.”

Ed says: “I didn’t go freelance to help make the world a worse place”. Claire agrees: “I see it as something I am fortunate to do in order to make the world a slightly better place”.

If you’re considering tree planting for your business, I’ve put together these five guidelines for effective and ethical tree planting:

• Focus first on reducing resource use

• Recognise its limitations as an offsetting tool

• Combine with using your electoral vote and funding or participating in activism to enact change at the top

• Choose a scheme with care

How do I choose a tree planting organisation?

We know that not all tree planting organisations are born equal. If a project is badly run it can increase emissions, colonise land and trash biodiversity. Check your scheme is operating ethically and sustainably with projects that are:

• certified and have third-party screening

• focused not only on planting trees but also ensuring they reach maturity and preserving existing forests

• dedicated to respecting and protecting local biodiversity

• respectful of the rights and needs of local and indigenous people

Rebecca says: “For anyone looking at environmental projects like tree planting I’d advocate looking for those which are re-foresting or re-wilding areas with indigenous species”.

Many of the people I spoke to, including Rebecca, recommend Ecologi. “They do more than tree planting and heavily vet all the projects that members can invest in. The tree planting is Gold Standard rated and carried out by Eden Reforestation Projects which is a highly respected organisation in this area. The tree planting regenerates habitat and provides job security for local people who complete the work and then guard and nurture the trees. Most of the trees we have invested in are mangroves, these draw down more carbon over their lifespan than native trees here. They also create protection for coastlines and against things like tsunamis.”

Translator Fay Abernethy recommends Plant for the Planet which is backed by the UN and guaranteed non-harmful. Like translator and copywriter Katie Uniacke, you can choose a scheme that’s local to you.

Proofreader Emma Hewlett recommends Carbon Trap. They plant wildflowers and elephant grass which sequesters CO2 quicker than trees.

Nature-based mindfulness guide Sonya Dibbin suggests TreeSisters, although she ultimately chose to plant seagrass and kelp with The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

Copywriter Lynne Saywell is another member of the non-tree brigade: “I’m going for the wildflowers at the moment cos I’m all about the 🐝”.

Do you plant trees for your business? Have strong feelings about it either way? I’d love to chat. You’ll find me on LinkedIn.