The Communion Forest Project was first conceived in late 2019 when the Lambeth Conference Design Group asked for ideas for a lasting legacy of the forthcoming Conference. An Anglican Communion eco group including ‘Eco-Bishops’, the Anglican Communion Environmental Network (ACEN), Christian Aid, the Anglican Communion Office at the United Nations (ACOUN) and the Anglican Alliance suggested a “Lambeth Forest.” This formed the basis for the Communion Forest initiative we have today. The Communion Forest builds on a history of creation care, tree growing in particular, within Anglican Communion around the world.
The project is a global act of hope which involves a wide range of creation care activities. Together, these projects will form a virtual, global “forest.” The forestation activities will be decided locally (by provinces, dioceses and individual parishes) so that they are geographically, culturally and environmentally appropriate. The “forest” will therefore look very different in different parts of the Communion. Local expressions might be about trees but could equally be about grasslands, wetlands or coastal habitats. Churches might choose to take up a project that involves:
- Protection – advocating and taking action to stop deforestation or prevent the destruction of other habitats.
- Restoration – restoring a piece of waste land or another degraded environment.
- Creation – starting a forest initiative on church land or support a project in the wider community.
- Growing – protection and restoration should be considered ahead of setting up something new. Where something new is set up, the emphasis should be on growing, not just planting. It is about growing the right kind of tree in the right place.
- Multiplying – helping others get involved. Churches or diocese can be a ‘multiplier’ by setting up a tree or plant nursery to enable wider participation in afforestation.
By acting together as a worldwide Anglican Communion, the churches can have a big impact in the global response to care for our planet. Every action taken can help to protect habitats and biodiversity; provide food or green space for people to enjoy; defend against soil or coastal erosion; sequester carbon; prevent environmental destruction; reduce pollution in urban areas; contribute to peace building.
Michael Oulton, Bishop of the Diocese of Ontario, is supportive of the project. In an article “From a tiny seed come a mighty tree”, he wrote “... I am pleased that the Diocesan Green Group has accepted my invitation to help us begin to find our place within the Anglican Communion Forest Project…. I would like to encourage you to read more about the project at www.communionforest.org.” As a rough guide to the level of effort, Bishop Michael suggested that churches aim for planting a tree for every year of the diocese’s existence.
Among the ways that parishes can take part in this project, the planting of trees that will become a forest is one that requires significant knowledge for its success. This webpage was prepared to make the challenge easier by providing some technical information and a list of sources where more can be found. The Green Group also organized a webinar with a presentation by Mr. Stephen Pitt, a forest ecologist who has organized or supervised the establishment of forest stands across eastern Ontario for several decades; the webinar will also be made available at this website.
