PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
ACE
Group today announced its renewed support of American Forests’
Global ReLeaf® program with the selection of eight national and three
international forest restoration projects. This year ACE will sponsor
the planting of 18,200 trees, representing one for each environmental
insurance policy written globally by ACE in 2014. Since 2007, ACE has
sponsored the planting of more than 75,000 trees. ACE’s support of the
American Forests program complements the company’s environmental program
goals, which include the promotion of a healthy and sustainable
environment through corporate philanthropy.
ACE is committed to reducing carbon emissions from its own operations.
In 2014, a companywide goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by
10 percent per employee from 2012 to 2020 was announced. This commitment
follows the successful achievement of the company’s first emissions
reduction goal, which was 8 percent per employee from 2006 to 2012.
Since 2006, the company’s GHG emissions have been reduced nearly 22
percent per employee. Additionally, ACE is working to implement building
efficiency projects in its offices across the globe. In 2014, efficiency
projects implemented in ACE’s Sydney office accounted for a reduction in
energy usage of about 29 percent.
“We are proud to be able to work with American Forests to support their
Global ReLeaf program, now in its 25th year of helping
protect and restore both national and global forest lands,” said Craig
Richardson, Senior Vice President, ACE Environmental Risk. “ACE’s
support of this program further symbolizes the ongoing commitment we
make toward minimizing the company’s carbon footprint.”
ACE Group’s contribution will support the planting of 1,600 to 1,700
trees in each of the following 11 American Forests 2015 Global ReLeaf
projects:
California (Yuba River Reforestation ReLeaf Project) – This
project will restore 200 acres in California’s Tahoe National Forest
with 32,000 conifers to help reestablish watershed areas that have been
damaged by insect infestations and disease outbreaks. This forest
restoration will improve hydrologic conditions that are especially
important in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Florida (Box-R Longleaf Pine ReLeaf Project) – The longleaf pine
ecosystem once covered an estimated 90 million acres of the southeastern
United States. Today, just 2 million acres remain – less than 3 percent
of the historic range. This project will reforest 70 acres with 35,000
trees to portions of its native range in Gulf County, FL.
Minnesota (Superior Moose Habitat ReLeaf Project) – Over the last
two decades, Minnesota’s moose population has declined dramatically. In
2013, just 4,000 moose were left. This project is planting more than
100,000 diverse species of trees in Superior National Forest,
Minnesota’s primary moose range, to increase stand complexity and
encourage species diversity.
New Mexico (Valles Caldera National Preserve ReLeaf Project) – The
2011 Los Conchas Fire and 2013 Thompson Ridge Fire burned more than
53,000 acres within the Valles Caldera National Preserve. This project
is reforesting 1,000 acres with 50,000 trees to restore riparian areas
damaged by the wildfires and help the ecosystem adapt to climate change.
North Carolina (Ledge Creek Watershed ReLeaf Project) – This
project will reforest 23 acres in Granville County, NC with 12,000
shortleaf pine trees to reforest abandoned hay fields and improve a
watershed that provides drinking water for more than 1 million people.
Texas (Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge ReLeaf
Project) – In its 18th year, this project is reconnecting
forest fragments by reclaiming agricultural land to bolster habitat for
wildlife in one of the most biologically diverse places in North
America. Approximately 20,000 trees will be planted across 226 acres.
Washington (South Summit Restoration ReLeaf Project) – This is
the first year of restoration on national forest lands in the Carlton
Fire Complex of 2014, the largest wildfire on record in the state of
Washington. Through this project the Okanogan-Wenatchee Forest will
receive 112,600 ponderosa pine and western larch trees to help restore
the watershed areas damaged by fire.
West Virginia (Greenbrier River Riparian ReLeaf Project) – In an
effort to restore the ecological functions of the trout streams in the
Greenbrier River located in Monongahela National Forest, WV, this
project is reforesting impaired riparian zones to cool stream
temperatures. Fifteen acres will receive more than 3,000 tree plantings
to help provide much needed cover for the sensitive aquatic species in
this area.
Brazil (Araripe Manakin Habitat ReLeaf Project) – The Chapada do
Araripe Plateau, located in the state of Ceara in northeastern Brazil,
harbors a small area of unique humid forest habitat that is currently
threatened by destruction as the result of encroachment from a growing
city. This project is reforesting approximately 10 acres with more than
15 native tree species to restore habitat for the rare and critically
endangered Araripe manakin.
Indonesia (Sumatran Orangutan Habitat ReLeaf Project) – This
project will plant approximately 27,000 trees across 50 acres to provide
habitat for the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan, which is
struggling to survive in this area.
Mexico (Forest for Monarchs) – Since 2006, this long-term project
has planted hundreds of thousands of trees in Mexico to provide
migratory monarch butterfly habitat. This year’s planting will provide
25,000 new plantings across more than 330 acres in Michoacán, Mexico.
ACE is one of the largest and most advanced global underwriters of
environmental liabilities and pollution risks. The company 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 our website. 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 United States 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.
About ACE Group
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 and
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,
or follow ACE on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ACEGroupNA.
Source: ACE Group