MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Healthy forests do more than grow trees. They also help protect one of the world’s most critical resources—water.
Healthy forests act as natural sponges, with roots and soils that soak up rainfall, filter it and then slowly release it into springs and rivers. Experts call this a nature-based solution for water security, rather than using concrete and pipes, that keeps water clean and available. Without them, rainfall runs off quickly, erodes soil and dries up the springs that communities and ecosystems depend on.
This is the challenge in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, where Sylvamo is helping bring native trees, and the water, back. Through the Raízes do Mogi Guaçu program, started in 2018, Sylvamo and World Wildlife Fund are restoring native forests across the Mogi Guaçu River basin, the main water source for eastern São Paulo. Decades of forest loss caused by agricultural challenges and cattle farming have fueled severe drought, threatening municipal water supplies across more than 40 cities and the stable flow that Sylvamo’s mills rely on.
"We are proud to partner with organizations like World Wildlife Fund to help ensure healthy and productive forest ecosystems for generations to come," said James McDonald, chief sustainability officer.
The goal is simple: restore forests that protect the water. Working with landowners and municipalities, the program uses seedlings of native tree species to target strategic areas that will have the greatest impact in stabilizing riverbank soils, reducing erosion and helping the land hold more water through dry seasons. The program’s goal is to restore 480 hectares by 2026.
Current progress reflects:
-
More than 488,000 seedlings planted
-
506 hectares restored
-
183 springs restored
The benefits are clear. For Sylvamo, healthy watersheds mean dependable water for communities, its mills and progress toward the company’s 2030 goal to conserve, enhance and restore ecologically significant forestland worldwide.
