Between March and April 2024 there were several fires on the land and around it, as there are most years. Around here, most of them are started by people. Many trees burned, and with them the places where animals live.
On 2 June we planted 54 young trees close together, as a very small forest, next to the part that burned on 17 April.
It is very little. One afternoon of fire in April burned far more than that. Even if we planted 54 trees every day for the rest of our lives, it might only make up for a week of fires, and there are fires every year.
So planting alone is not enough. Fire breaks help. So does watching for fire early in the dry season, and talking with neighbours about how fire is used. Planting still matters, and we will keep doing it, a little at a time.
First posted on Rithy's Telegram channel: the 54 trees, what else we can do.