Sustainable Forestry Initiative Brings Teams from Across North America to Break a World Record for a Cause

People of all ages and backgrounds from across the U.S. and Canada came together Wednesday 20 May to break the Guinness World Record for the most trees planted in one hour by small teams. Organized by PEFC’s North American member, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI), more than 200,000 trees were planted simultaneously in 28 different communities.

“It was such a pleasure to personally participate in this event, which brought communities together to break a world record for a wonderful cause. It was a great feeling to be planting trees knowing that at the very same moment my shovel broke into the earth to help make the world a greener place, other communities in Minnesota, New Brunswick, Pennsylvania, Ontario, Washington, British Columbia, New York, Quebec, and California were all doing the same thing to make a difference in the communities they serve,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI. “It was an experience that connected people and the earth on both a local and global level.”

The record attempt involved more than 1,100 participants, across four time zones, including industry representatives, community organizations, youth groups, conservation groups, and SFI Implementation Committees. Each team of 25 to 100 people planted trees simultaneously from 1:00 to 2:00 pm EDT, in locations ranging from New York City to Vancouver Island in British Columbia. One team of 100 people, led by SFI program participant J.D. Irving Limited even exceeded the existing record by planting 52,598 trees. The tree-planting initiative is but one example of SFI’s work to promote responsible forest management and sustainable communities.
http://pefc.org/news-a-media/general-sfm-news/1858-sustainable-forestry-initiative-brings-teams-from-across-north-america-to-break-a-world-record-for-a-cause