PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
ACE Group today announced the selection of seven national and three
international forest restoration projects as part of its renewed support
of American Forests’ Global
ReLeaf® program. In renewing its program commitment, ACE
will sponsor the planting of 19,340 trees – one for each environmental
insurance policy written by ACE globally in 2013. Since it began its
relationship with American Forests in 2007, ACE has planted more than
65,000 trees through the program.
“Major threats, such as climate change, invasive species, disease, and
intense natural disasters continue to endanger our forests. For the
seventh consecutive year, we are proud to be able to work with American
Forests and support their Global ReLeaf program, which helps to protect
and restore our forests,” said Craig Richardson, Senior Vice President,
ACE Environmental Risk. “With the continued support of our clients, ACE
is able to carry out sustainability efforts through participation in
programs like this one. We look forward to continuing to work together
with American Forests to protect and expand our planet’s forests.”
“American Forests deeply appreciates ACE’s commitment to address global
threats to forests,” said Lea Sloan, Vice President of Communications at
American Forests. “Forests cover nearly one third of the land on Earth
and provide critical ecosystem services. ACE is making an important and
vital contribution to the health of the planet.”
The ACE Group contributions will support planting 1,934 trees in each of
the following ten American Forests Global ReLeaf projects in 2014:
Georgia (Paulding Wildlife Management Area LongLeaf Pine
Restoration)- This project will restore 50 acres with 25,000
longleaf pine seedlings, improving the wildlife habitat on a new
addition to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Paulding
Wildlife Management Area in Paulding County.
Idaho (Mission-West Gold Restoration)- This project will create
vegetative restoration activities allowing for openings and landscape
patterns needed to meet desired stocking levels of potentially
long-lived tree species that better resist insects, diseases, and
stand-replacing wildfire. This forest restoration work will also benefit
wildlife habitat and increase fire resilience. More than 70,000 trees
are expected to be planted.
Indonesia (Orangutan Habitat Restoration & Protection II)-
This project will plant approximately 35,000 trees in the area of
Sumatra to provide habitat for the critically endangered Sumatran
orangutan. The Sumatran orangutan is a critically endangered species,
struggling to survive in the island’s shrinking forests. Suitable
habitats for this species have been lost due to illegal logging, and
poaching also poses a serious threat to these primates’ survival. The
critically endangered Sumatran tiger can also be found in the area.
Mexico (Forest for Monarchs)- This long-term project will plant
hundreds of thousands of trees in Mexico to provide migratory monarch
butterfly habitat. This year’s planting will provide 55,000 new
plantings.
Montana (2014 Fly Wilbur West Post Fire Restoration)- In 2012,
five wildfires were ignited in multiple thunderstorms in southeastern
Montana. This complex of fires became known as the Ash Creek Fire
Complex, which collectively burned 245,224 acres on the Northern
Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Crow Indian Reservation, Bureau of Land
Management, State of Montana, private and Custer National Forest lands.
More than 100,000 trees are scheduled to be planted to help reforest the
area.
New Mexico (Rio de las Vacas Riparian Re-Vegetation and Watershed
Improvement Project)- This project will continue to plant native
vegetation, including hardwoods, in an area ravaged by a 2011 wildfire.
Species affected include elk, golden eagle, coyote, black bear, bobcat
and wild turkey. American Forests will be planting here for its fourth
consecutive year.
Ohio (The Wilds)- This project will plant hardwoods in an area
that was an active surface mine 30 years ago. The land has recently been
reclaimed and is ready for spring plantings.
Oregon (Red Zone Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic Ponderosa Pine
Restoration)- This planting project is within the locally referenced
“Red Zone,” where 300,000-plus acres have experienced mortality from the
mountain pine beetle epidemic. Reforestation of this area with ponderosa
pine seedlings is the primary strategy for recovering this native forest
species composition.
Philippines (Mangrove Rehabilitation for Coastal Resilience in the
Philippines- MaReCoRP)- This project will plant more than 67,000
mangroves with fishers’ organizations, NGOs, civic groups, schools and
universities, and volunteers, as part of an overall watershed
restoration.
West Virginia (Lambert Run Reforestation)- This project will
continue the implementation of ecological restoration on 2,600 acres of
the Lambert watershed through the planting of native species along the
central Appalachian Mountains. Additionally, the project will address
carbon sequestration and touches on the concept of ecosystem services
while protecting several endangered species native to the area.
Approximately 55,000 trees are part of this project.
ACE has been a pioneer in developing advanced environmental risk
insurance solutions designed to minimize bottom line impacts and provide
hands-on management for environmental liabilities. ACE’s Environmental
Risk divisions in the U.S. and abroad offer a full range of specialized
environmental and sustainable property and casualty insurance products
and services, promoted as “ACE Green,” including coverages for
premises-based exposures, contractors’ and project pollution liability,
and renewable energy and environmental cleanup projects.
To learn more about ACE Group’s environmental insurance products and
services, please visit www.acegroup.com.
For more information about ACE’s overall environmental initiative,
please click
here. American Forests protects and restores urban and rural
forests. Founded in 1875, the oldest national nonprofit conservation
organization in the country has served as a catalyst for many of the
most important milestones in the conservation movement, including the
founding of the U.S. Forest Service, the national forest and national
park systems and thousands of forest ecosystem restoration projects and
public education efforts. In the past two decades, American Forests has
planted more than 45 million trees in forests across the U.S. and in 44
countries, resulting in cleaner air and drinking water, restored habitat
for wildlife and fish, and the removal of millions of tons of carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere. Learn more at www.americanforests.org.
ACE Group is one of the world’s largest multiline property and casualty
insurers. With operations in 54 countries, ACE provides commercial and
personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident supplemental
health insurance, reinsurance, and life insurance to a diverse group of
clients. ACE Limited, the parent company of ACE Group, is listed on the
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ACE) and is a component of the S&P 500
index. Additional information can be found at www.acegroup.com.
Source: ACE Group