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"Maintaining
the sensitive balance between the needs of the Monarch Butterflies
and the needs of the people who share their Overwintering Area."
THE WONDER OF A NEW FOREST
In the forest, it is the trees that hold the system in place. By
replacing the trees, we restore the system's foundation and lay
the groundwork for a healthy ecosystem. We plant the trees to restore
the soil and to allow dense forests to reclaim the cleared and damaged
land. The seedlings grow from one to three meters a year, depending
on the condition of the soil, which improves year by year. A new
microclimate emerges. More birds and other animals start to return
to inhabit the region. Serious soil erosion is reduced to only two
percent. Water and air are cleaner. Trees capture carbon dioxide,
producing oxygen to help offset global warming. The growing forest
increasingly contributes to sustaining the microclimate necessary
for successful overwintering of the monarch butterfly.
THE REFORESTATION PROCESS
Started in 1997, MRF and La Cruz reforestation projects help local
ejidos and communities convert degraded cornfields back into the
original pine and oyamel forest, a difficult task due to the deteriorated
soil conditions and lack of shade. Once the trees take hold their
growth rate accelerates, from one meter the first year, to three
meters a year as the balance of sun and shade and quality of soil
improve. Restoring the original forest in the buffer zones in and
around the Monarch's Overwintering Sites is crucial to the survival
of the butterflies, the health of the environment, and the well
being of the local people, who in a few years be able to selectively
harvest trees in a sustainable forest environment thanks to their
participationin our programs. |
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