Minnesota-based Gulfstream operator Global Air Charters has shared details on the first planting of tree seedlings under its commitment to reforestation projects.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has confirmed that Global Air Charters’ donations funded the hand-planting of 6,000 bare root conifer seedlings, comprising 5,400 red pines and 600 jack pines, in May 2022. The planting site covers six acres of woodland near the St Croix State Forest in Ogema Township in Pine County, Minnesota. Salvage harvesting cleared the area of wind-damaged trees and created growing space for the next generation of forest. MNDNR will manage the site as a working forest, using various silvicultural techniques to keep it healthy and sustainable into the future.

Global Air Charters chose to coordinate the plantings through MNDNR’s Future Forest Fund, which allows Minnesotans to contribute to reforestation projects across the state. In this programme, MNDNR staffers identify areas in need of reforestation that may have been affected by disease, pests, fires, storms and other disturbances. The programme ensures funds are spent planting, growing and protecting trees in Minnesota’s state forests.

“It is incredibly gratifying to see these trees in the ground and to imagine the future forest that will grow as a result,” says COO Michael Vanacore-Netz. “This is only the first step in our initiative to counteract the carbon footprint of our operations, and we can’t wait to contribute to more projects through the Future Forest Fund in the coming years. Thanks go to the dedicated foresters at MNDNR for spearheading this critical work.”

Rather than purchase carbon credits, Global prefers the restoration of trees as a strategy to help mitigate climate change. It has committed to planting one tree for every heavy airframe charter flight its flies, but recognises that does not fully offset the carbon footprint of a flight. If clients wish to fly carbon neutral, they can purchase additional tree plantings; for example, a Gulfstream flight from New York to London will emit approximately 26 tons of carbon dioxide that would equate to planting 26 trees.