Reforest'Action acts by relying on its expertise in a process of continuous progress, driven by the complexity and diversity of forest ecosystems, a constantly changing international context, and the regular publication of new scientific work that enables us to continuously strengthen our actions.
Reforest'Action draws its expertise from the following pillars :
10 years of action and exploration
In 2010, Stéphane Hallaire, President and Founder of Reforest'Action, travels to Senegal and discovers a reforestation project. There he plants his first tree, a mango tree, and has a real revelation when he becomes aware of the multiple benefits that these trees will bring to the local communities. On his return to France, he quits his job as an engineer and founds Reforest'Action. Result: 10 years devoted to the challenges and benefits of reforestation, 10 years of discoveries and professionalization, and 10 million trees planted!
The Forest Pole
This unit, internal to Reforest'Action and composed of agricultural engineers, foresters and technical correspondents, has the following mission:
- to draw up project specifications according to the planting zones.
- to evaluate the projects proposed by the project leaders and to propose adjustments to make them compatible with the specifications.
- to monitor the evolution of forestry projects and to propose adjustments to ensure their good development over time.
- to calculate and measure economic and socio-environmental benefits using indicators.
A technical and scientific committee on tropical forests
Founded in 2021, our technical and scientific committee dedicated to tropical forests will strengthen Reforest'Action's scientific expertise and support the benefits of the actions carried out in the areas of our projects. Its members, specialized in the issues related to forests, climate, carbon and biodiversity, will be evaluating Reforest'Action's approach to forest preservation, restoration and creation. In the long term, the group’s reflexions will help reinforce, the scientific scope of the actions carried out in tropical zones. Here are the five forestry specialists who were invited to share their scientific expertise:
- KAREN HOLL, professor of Environmental Studies at the University of California
- THOMAS CROWTHER, a specialist in Ecosystem Ecology and founder of the Crowther Lab scientific research laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich
- AÏDA CUNÍ-SANCHEZ, associate professor of Environmental Sciences at the Norwegian University for Life Sciences
- CLAUDE GARCIA, scientist in the Group for Forest Management and Development at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
- CHRISTOPHE BESACIER, forestry technician and coordinator of the Forest and Landscape Restoration Facility at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- SUSAN CHOMBA, director of Vital Landscapes for Africa at the World Resources Institute (WRI)
A technical committee on temperate forests
As part of a continuous improvement process, our technical committee on temperate forests works alongside us to reflect on our methodology for the selection of forestry projects and their enhancement. The role of its various members is to validate the specifications of our projects and our evaluation and monitoring criteria, as well as to review our projects on an annual basis. Its members are drawn from the various branches of the forest world and are three in number:
- PAUL-EMMANUEL HUET Executive Director PEFC France
- ALEXIS DUCOUSSO Member of the FNE Forest Board and President of the IUCN Forest Group
- HERVE JACTEL Director of Research at INRA
Collaboration with international institutions
Through dialogue and collaboration with high-level French, European and international institutions, such as the UN, FNE or INRAE, the challenge is to strengthen the protection and restoration of forests on a large scale, in the service of biodiversity and future generations. The objective is also to promote a multifunctional vision of the forest, not reduced to a carbon sink, but as an ecosystem providing a multitude of essential services to all living things and human well-being.
Continuous scientific monitoring
Reforest'Action continuously monitors international forestry scientific work. The fruit of a review of 150 scientific sources and other specialised publications, our report "Notre Avenir s'appelle Forêt" analyses in a cross-cutting manner the ecological, economic and social challenges facing French forests in the 21st century and proposes a response to these challenges: the renewal of forests based on forest diversity as an ally.
A network of local and international partners
Specialists in the environmental and socio-economic issues of local forests, the project leaders in France and abroad with whom we collaborate develop their projects according to local specificities and the needs of the populations. They also ensure the maintenance and sustainable management of forests. With more than 620 members (NGOs, associations, experts, managers, etc.), our network of project leaders enables us to act on a large scale on quality projects that fully integrate our vision of the forest.
