Welcome!

My name is Ilan Shamir and I will be your guide.

Having a tree planted is a wonderful gift for the giver, receiver, and the earth! We will show you pictures of the tree nursery, planting area, maps and documentation for the protection of the area your tree is being planted in.

When I was very young, my aunt and uncle gave me a special present for my birthday. Now some kids got a train or a new puppy. For me it was a three foot tall Magnolia tree. I planted it in the southern Texas soil, cared for it as my best friend. You could say we grew up together! It was more than a tree, it is was a lasting celebration of my special connection with my aunt and uncle that gave me the tree. That gift was so important to me that I wanted to find an easy way for others to plant a tree in honor of someone else for any special occasion.

Having planted over 50,000 trees and knowing how special each one is, we are pleased to add your tree to our growing forest of green. Your tree(s) are being planted in the Magdalena Watershed area of El Salvador. Varieties include native species of Mahogany, Leucaena, Cedar and White Pine. Your True Nature has teamed up with the non-profit group Trees, Water and People in Fort Collins, Colorado who oversee the planting and care of your tree. They were recently featured on a National Geographic television special for their innovative tree planting programs in this protected area. Trees, Water and People has reputable planting partners in El Salvador and makes periodic trips to verify plantings. We are pleased to be working with them to plant and care for your special tree.

While we would love to give you a tour in person and meet you, we hope the pictures and maps below will help you connect with your important life giving gift. Each tree is hand planted with care by members of surrounding communities. Sometimes whole families work together. Grass is cleared away to give your tree "breathing room". And as the earth is mounded around the base of the tree, it is given a good drink of water to settle the soil around the roots. Each tree will take a year or so of "settling in" before it starts to put on amazing growth. This climate is perfect for growing trees and what a wonderful gift to the earth to return this area to a beautiful and life filled forest.

I particularly enjoy the picture below on the right side. This is one of the tree nurseries where many thousands of trees are growing to just the right size before being planted and cared for in an area awaiting trees. This is the same area where thousands of trees are being planted to replace paper used by individuals and organizations for the 100% Replanted Program. Your tree is in very good company!

There is a tremendous amount of excitement about this area so we thought you might like to see the letter of protection (in Spanish) as well as one of the newspaper articles.

For me, it is a great feeling to imagine my tree growing next to another persons tree that I have never met. Perhaps someday in some way we will meet. I look forward to the day!

If you have any questions or comments, please email us. We would love to hear from you!

When you plant a tree you grow a friend, a friend you'll have for life! Sheldon Sands