As our 2024-2025 planting season officially began in December 2024, the seedlings distribution process is now in full swing. New green leaves flourishing in our nurseries, reflecting the dedicated and meticulous work of our nurseries’ team. Together with our field team, they are currently busy distributing those seedlings to thousands of local farmers who serve as our tree-growing partners.
This season, we aim to plant over 5.3 million trees by engaging nearly 20,000 local farmers across 17 regencies, covering over 200 villages. Additionally, we are also expanding our tree-planting efforts to Bali Island and the Citanduy watershed in West Java, while further advancing mangrove forest restoration in Cilacap, Central Java.
Together with our supporters, we are focusing on tree-planting initiatives that help restore river watersheds, combat drought and water scarcity, enhance urban areas, and rehabilitate degraded mangrove forests. This season, 34 tree species are being planted, which are expected to improve the environment and benefit local communities. Below are our tree-planting initiatives for this season and the environmental challenges we aim to address through these efforts.

Expanding Watershed Restoration
River pollution and watershed degradation pose significant environmental challenges, significantly affecting those who rely on these critical resources. This is especially true for the Citarum River, where we have been actively engaged in reforestation efforts.
Since 2020, we have planted nearly 8 million trees in the Citarum watershed to support government-led restoration initiatives. “Our goal is to plant 20 million trees by 2028 across five Citarum sub-watersheds: Cisangkuy, Ciwidey, Cirasea, Ciminyak, and Citarik,” said Trees4Trees Director, Pandu Budi Wahono.
Over 2.5 million trees have been planted since early January, with a goal of 4.6 million trees in total this year. These efforts, supported by 17,000 local farmers, aim to reforest 177 villages across Bandung, West Bandung, and Sumedang Regency. The ten species being planted include both fruit and shade trees, contributing to watershed restoration, revitalizing greenery, and preventing disasters, especially landslides.
This season, our restoration efforts are expanding beyond the Citarum watershed to new areas. These include planting over 50,000 trees in the Citanduy watershed in Tasikmalaya and over 18,000 in the Sangianggede watershed in Jembrana Regency, West Bali, to protect water sources essential for the traditional Subak irrigation system.

Restoring the Degraded Cilacap Mangrove Forest
In the 1990s, Ujung Alang Village in Cilacap Regency, Central Java, faced massive mangrove deforestation due to irresponsible land conversion for aquaculture ponds. To help the mangrove forests recover, local communities have been replanting mangroves for these past two decades. During 2022 to 2024, we contributed to the efforts by planting 24,750 mangroves across 7.4 hectares in the Kampung Laut District.
This season, we plan to extend the initiative by planting 120,000 mangroves across 50 hectares. Four mangrove species consist of Avicennia, Rhizophora, Bruguiera, and Ceriops will be planted, as they naturally thrive in the area. The planting will follow the silvofishery concept, integrating fishery with mangrove reforestation.
“This approach aims to provide economic benefits to local communities, with mangrove crab farming scheduled to coincide with this year’s planting efforts, as most local communities are interested in mangrove crab farming,” Yoga, the Trees4Trees Cilacap Unit Manager revealed.

Combating Drought and Water Scarcity
Many of our planting areas experienced annual drought and water scarcity, significantly impacting the well-being of local communities living nearby. Villages in Kebumen, Pati, and Boyolali Regency in Central Java, Gunungkidul in Yogyakarta, Cidaun in West Java, and Bojonegoro in East Java are among our planting areas frequently affected by these issues, especially during the dry season.
“When the dry season arrives, many areas, including our tree-planting sites in Bojonegoro, suffer from water scarcity as most water sources dry up. We aim to help local communities address this issue by planting trees that thrive in dry-prone areas,” said Khoirum Minan, the Trees4Trees Unit Manager responsible for the Bojonegoro project.

To continue in combating these challenges, this season we plan to plant 530,000 trees across 40 villages in five regencies in Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java, engaging over 2,000 local farmers. Additionally, in Cianjur Regency, West Java, we are building on last year’s success of planting 50,000 trees by adding 15,000 more trees to support local communities in developing long-term solutions to combat water scarcity and drought.

More Green Spaces in Urban and Industrial Areas
The presence of urban forests amidst the bustling of cities and industrial areas offers numerous benefits. Tree-lined parks, greenways, sidewalks, and other vegetation in urban settings improve the air, water, and soil quality, reduce noise and pollution, and mitigate the effects of global warming. These improvements help prevent disasters like flooding and maintain the overall health of the urban environment.
Recognizing these significant benefits, we launched our urban forestry tree-planting initiative in 2022 and have since planted over 60,000 trees. This season, we are focusing on increasing green spaces in urban and industrial areas. Since December 2024, we have planted 22,300 trees in the Bekasi and Karawang industrial regions, with more to come throughout the season. This initiative is expected to help reduce temperatures, combat air pollution, and enhance water and soil quality in these industrial zones.
“As the soil around industrial areas is marginal, our initial step is to plant fast-growing trees before introducing other tree species. We collaborate with companies in the urban forestry initiatives this year and hope to inspire others to contribute,” said Pandu Budi Wahono.

Working Together with Partners and Local Communities
This season, we are deeply grateful for the support of companies partnering with us in our reforestation mission. Together with local communities, we are working toward a shared vision of a healthier Earth. “Over eight companies are supporting us this season, and we hope more will join,” said Pandu Budi Wahono. Companies play a crucial role in reforestation efforts, not only helping to restore the environment but also demonstrating their commitment to sustainability, aligning with their core values.

As climate change reaches alarming levels, collective action is more important than ever. With collective efforts of individuals, governments, organizations, and companies in tackling this crisis, we can address environmental challenges and create a healthier planet for future generations. Trees4Trees invite you to join us in this mission! You can donate trees, plan a tree-planting event, or support our tree-planting initiative to make a lasting impact on the environment.
Writer: V. Arnila Wulandani. Photos: Kemas Duga Muis, Yulianisa Dessenita, Trees4Trees Field Team