Wellkind

05/12/2023

We are partnering with One Day's Wages to create a better future for the people and environment of Lake Atitlan. Check the link in this post to donate and help us to support the indigenous communities of Guatemala!

Farms, Forests and Fair Trade: just 3 of the reasons that we couldn't be more pleased to partner again with Wellkind in Guatemala. Our newest matching grant is live! We're partnering together so that nearly 1,000 Kaqchikel Mayan community members can establish small businesses, join fair-trade artisan cooperatives, plant trees for climate resilience, and improve their vegetable gardens. Learn all the details at https://onedayswages-wellkind.funraise.org.

03/08/2023

Meet General Grant Tree

General Grant Tree is the 2nd largest tree in the world and the only living shrine in the United States.

President Eisenhower declared the beautiful giant sequoia to be a National Shrine in 1956. It was dedicated "in memory of the men and women of the Armed Forces who have served and fought and died to keep this Nation free." Each year, during a Christmas ceremony, park rangers place a large wreath at the base of the General Grant Tree, in remembrance of those who gave their lives.

Location: Kings Canyon National Park.
Age: 3000 - 4000 years old (recent estimates suggest the General Grant tree is closer to 1,650 years old).
Height: 267 feet tall.
Do you have anything you want to learn about giant sequoias? Drop us a comment and we will answer your tree questions.

03/06/2023

Meet General Sherman

General Sherman is not only the largest living tree, but the largest living organism by volume on the planet.

Age: between 2,300 to 2,700 years old.
Weight: 2.7 million pounds.
Size: 275 feet tall with a 102-foot circumference at the ground. It has branches that are almost 7 feet in diameter.
Location: America’s second oldest national park, Sequoia National Park.

How did it get its name? In 1879, a cowboy named James Wolverton reportedly discovered the tree. He had served under General William Tecumseh Sherman as a lieutenant in the 9th Indiana Calvary and named the tree after his commanding officer.

Have you ever seen General Sherman in real life? If so, please share your wonderful experience in the comments. We would love to hear it.

Wednesday, we will introduce the second latest tree in the world, the General Grant Tree.

03/03/2023

Have you ever seen a tree as tall as a 26-story building?

Sequoias are some of the largest and oldest trees in the world. They can live for over 3,000 years thanks to a chemical in their bark called tannin, which helps to protect against rot, insects and most fires. These magnificent trees can grow as tall as a 26-story building, averaging between 180 and 250 feet tall.

“No other tree combines such massiveness of trunk with such height…. Spruces and pines of majestic port standing around look like saplings….They look up, but the Sequoias look—not down but out, indifferent to all that is transpiring below them. They see only the limitless reaches of the eternal sky…” JULIA ELLEN ROGERS

03/02/2023

More Than 50% of All Tree Species Exist Only in a Single Country

A 2017 census published in the Journal of Sustainable Forestry found that nearly 58% of all tree species are single-country species. Giant sequoia trees are such trees. They naturally only grow in California, USA.

Giant sequoias have very specific climate requirements, so specific that they grow naturally only in a narrow strip on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains, mainly between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation.

Let’s talk about some of these astonishing trees.

Over the next few days, we will introduce the largest living tree, and the largest living organism by volume, on the planet: General Sherman. We’ll also highlight its neighbor, the 2nd largest tree: General Grant Tree. Stay tuned for more information about this magnificent tree species.

02/27/2023

Trees Are Critical to Heal the Earth's Atmosphere

Trees today face a veritable soup of hazards. Entire forests in several states and across the globe are being killed off from drought, deforestation, insect infestations, and more.

Extreme tree die-offs have been documented on all continents, except Antarctica. For example, the sacred Hawaiian Ohi’a tree, a flowering evergreen that covers 80% of the state’s canopy, and which sustains birds and insects found nowhere else in the world, is being wiped out by a dangerous fungus.

In Canada, mountain pine beetles are eating through entire forests. In 2015 alone, beetles felled over 730 million cubic meters of pine trees in British Columbia.

At WellKind, we seek to educate and inform people about the key role trees and forests play in maintaining an atmosphere suitable for all life on Earth. So, let’s talk about some of these beautiful trees. Stay tuned for more.

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02/24/2023

Got Water? Thank Trees!

Two WellKind interns, William and Sophie, made this video explaining how trees keep the water cycle running.

To learn more about the importance of forests, visit wellkind.org/forestry-program

02/23/2023

Throwing Shade: How Trees Keep Us Cool

Have you ever been thankful for a tree's shade on a hot day? The fact is, shade from trees does even more than simply cooling us off. In this video, WellKind Forestry interns explain all the benefits trees provide to the environment and our communities with their shade.

For more information on the value of trees, visit www.wellkind.org/forestry-program.

P.S. See our next video tomorrow!

02/17/2023

Save Forests in Guatemala!

Did you know that from 2000 to 2021, Guatemala lost over 21% of its forest coverage? This is mainly due to cattle ranching and the expansion of farmland for crops like African palm oil, sugar cane, and rubber.

It is more important than ever to protect Guatemala’s forests and plant native trees. The indigenous communities here depend on these forests to supply fresh water and other natural resources.

Do you want to be a part of the change in Guatemala? Learn about our reforestation projects at wellkind.org/wellkind-guatemala.

02/16/2023

Live Near Trees for Better Mental Health.

According to new research published in Science News, people living near trees tend to have better mental health than those who do not. The Barcelona Institute compared the wellness of people living inside and outside neighborhoods that follow the 3-30-300 green space rule. This guideline suggests that everyone should be able to see at least three trees from their home, have 30% tree cover in their neighborhood, and not live farther than 300 meters away from the nearest park or green space.

The institute found that people living in these 3-30-300 neighborhoods reported better mental health, less medication use, and fewer visits to a psychologist than those living farther away from trees and green spaces.

Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, the study's lead author, said, "There is an urgent need to provide citizens with more green space. We may need to tear out asphalt and plant more trees, which would not only improve health, but also reduce heat island effects and contribute to carbon capture.”

Want to learn more about the importance of trees? Check out wellkind.org/forestry-program.

02/14/2023

Find Your Heart in Nature

Today, instead of purchasing a gift or a card, choose to gift the gift of love in nature. Go for a romantic stroll. Read under a tree. Enjoy a picnic.

You can find love in nature no matter where you are, and all it takes is keeping an open mind and the curiosity to look for it. Sometimes, we forget to spend time together outside or look for the beauty in our day.

Don’t let yourself forget about all that nature has to offer.

02/10/2023

Thank you for making change in Guatemala.

On behalf of our community, we would like to thank everyone who donated to support our work. WellKind Guatemala's mission is to restore the Earth's ecological balance while empowering indigenous women to solve socio-economic problems in the Tzununá Valley of Lake Atitlán. Your contribution allows us to continue to create a better future for the people and the environment in this beautiful part of the world.

To learn more about our work, visit wellkind.org/wellkind-guatemala