Reforesting the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil

Since the fire broke out in June and burned through 2 Ha of SINAL, we have been hosting tree planting sessions with volunteers every Friday. We receive a maximum of 10 volunteers to keep within health measures, and plant native seedlings along with nitrogen fixer seeds, such as Pigeon Pea and Rattlepods. 

So far, we have planted over 100 trees and have seen some of the burned trees come back. The rainy season has just begun and we are doubling our efforts keeping the invasive grasses from taking over the area. 

We have named the area Alfredo Sirkis Forest in honor of a Brazilian parlamentarian, a pioneer of environmentalism in the country, who tragically passed away in June of this year in an accident. 

As the area regenerates with the participation of our neighbors from the community and from Rio, guests staying in SINAL houses and entire families, we hope it will become a symbol of resilience and stewardship of our natural resources.

Last week there was a terrible accident when one of SINAL's areas in process of regeneration caught fire. It is the dry peak of the season, and the strong winds quickly spread it to 2 hectares of land. 

The accident happened on the day of Saint John (festa de São João), a very popular festivity in Brazil to celebrate the coming rains and hope for favorable conditions for the crop growing season. To celebrate, people release a type of small hot air balloons that are very dangerous because they tend to cause fires. We still do not know the exact cause of the fire, but the authorities believe it was most likely one of those balloons.

Luckily, the fire brigade responded quickly and, together with the SINAL team, put out the fire in two days. Although we are very sad this happened, we have been taking this opportunity to inform community members of the perils of celebrating with balloons, and we are also eager to start regenerating the land! 

We want to extend a big thank you to our donors who support, helping us get the right equipment, keep monitoring measures in place, and continue reforesting our property - If you would like to help us, we could really use your support to act now!

With sincere gratitude,