MISSOULA, MONT. – The National Forest Foundation (NFF) announces a new partnership that harnesses the power of Facebook to reforest America’s National Forests. The Eurisko Gaia Facebook application allows users to plant trees on locations throughout the Americas including several U.S. National Forests. Users select tree-planting locations and purchase, plant and maintain trees through the interactive Facebook application. Users can also update their friends, see where others have planted their trees, and check on the status of their plantings in real time through the use of mobile apps.

America’s National Forests have suffered unprecedented devastation in the past few years, from massive wildfires to insect infestations to tornados and floods. Reforestation of these public lands is a priority of the NFF. Greg Peters, who manages the NFF’s tree-planting program, said, “The NFF is excited to partner with Eurisko Gaia. Millions of acres of vibrant National Forests have been decimated by natural causes in the past decades. The Eurisko Gaia Facebook application not only helps restore the health and vitality of these amazing landscapes, but also connects and engages people with their National Forests, something the NFF values, while allowing them to share their new connection with their friends.”

Eurisko Gaia is receiving notice and support from activists, conservationists, and even Hollywood celebrities. Shiva Rose, actress, activist, and writer (www.thelocalrose.com) notes that, “Eurisko Gaia is a smart and easy way we can replenish our forests. The cyber age can replenish our great mother.” In addition to providing aesthetic beauty, trees provide a host of “ecosystem services,” such as sequestering carbon, cleaning our air and water, providing wildlife habitat, and enhancing recreational opportunities that improve quality of life and reduce costs to society as a whole. Ms. Rose is right; Eurisko Gaia is a smart and easy way to help restore our National Forests.

While Eurisko Gaia is designed for individual users, there are nearly limitless opportunities for businesses to promote tree-planting through the application and add a unique and engaging element to their corporate social responsibility programs. Because Eurisko Gaia “plants” a customized notice on users’ friends’ pages, reflecting the messaging and branding of the business sponsoring the tree-planting, businesses gain branded access to potentially millions of impressions and widespread recognition for engaging in an important green cause. Some potential partnership types include: grocery store chains providing coupons for trees to customers based on purchase amounts, products purchased, or as part of a rewards/loyalty program, or retail and manufacturing companies offering certificates to their employees as part of employee recognition programs.

Zack Anton, founder and CEO of Eurisko, believes that by combining ecological restoration with social media platforms and mobile application capabilities, significant benefits can accrue to forestlands across the United States. He said, “The NFF is a marquee name in the conservation of our National Forests, especially in tree-planting. Their contributions are well documented and evident in almost every region of the country, and we feel confident that by combining the NFF’s historically successful approach to planting trees with the popularity and increasing reach of social networking, we will produce a windfall of participation by people to help America stay green and beautiful.”

Currently, the NFF and Eurisko Gaia have highlighted the following National Forests (locations will change and be added over time) on the application:

·         Angeles National Forest, California. Native trees will be planted in appropriate locations on the site of the 161,000-acre Station Fire.

·         Ocala National Forest, Florida. Longleaf pine trees will be planted as part of a large-scale effort to reestablish the majestic longleaf forests that once covered 90 million acres of the south.

·         Deschutes National Forest, Oregon. Native trees will be planted in appropriate locations on areas of the Deschutes that experienced severe wildfires in recent years.

·         Pike National Forest, Colorado. Native trees will be planted in appropriate locations on the site of the 2002 Hayman Fire that burned more than 135,000 acres of the forest that serves as Denver’s main watershed.

·         Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri. Native trees will be planted in sites devastated by massive tornados that tore through Missouri’s forests in 2011.

As with all National Forest reforestation efforts sponsored by the NFF, these trees will protect critical water supplies, improve wildlife habitat for threatened and endangered species, enhance recreational opportunities, and sequester carbon while improving air quality.

To plant trees with the NFF and Eurisko Gaia, visit www.euriskogaia.com or follow the Facebook link directly https://apps.facebook.com/euriskogaia/.