Here’s why the SAG Awards Forest is so special

Are you thinking about claiming and naming your very own tree within the SAG Awards Forest, planted thanks to a unique reforestation partnership with Chile’s Patagonia Sur? If so, we thought you may be interested in knowing more about Patagonia Sur’s reforestation efforts.  In 2010, Patagonia Sur launched its Reforestation and Biodiversity Project on its Valle California property in the Palena province of southern Chile. Three types of native-species beech trees, Coigüe, Ñirre, and Lenga, are planted in a pattern that replicates the growth of a natural forest. Each tree is expected to sequester 0.48 tons of carbon dioxide over an 80-year period. For the 2013 SAG Awards, Patagonia Sur is planting 3,400 trees — two for each of the 1,700 guests at the Post Awards Gala hosted by People magazine and the Entertainment Industry Foundation!

Patagonia Sur is replanting in areas that were deforested in the early 1900s by settlers who burned more than seven million acres to clear land for pasture.  You may not know that deforestation is a leading contributor of carbon emissions worldwide, second only to the burning of fossil fuels. Temperate forest absorbs the most CO2 and Chile hosts one of the world’s largest areas of temperate forest.  In addition to sequestering carbon dioxide, Patagonia Sur's Valle California reforestation program benefits the area’s ecology by helping control soil erosion, strengthens native plant communities, reduce the number of invasive plant species, and improve habitat for the region’s wildlife.

So check out the SAG Awards Forest  and click on a green tree to find out who has claimed it. A peek on Google Maps will let you see where it’s being planted, too. Finally, let us know what you think of the SAG Awards’ production team’s efforts in striving to create a zero waste event!