In the summer of 2003 the Mile Post 59 Fire consumed more than 8,000 acres of forest habitat on the Nez Perce Reservation. This wildfire left the land devoid of trees and local bodies of water being degraded by erosion. AMERICAN FORESTS and the US Forest Service provided grants to the Nez Perce Tribe to reforest large sections of burned land that boarder the Clearwater River . AMERICAN FORESTS, which is America ’s oldest conservation non-profit, provided the Nez Perce Tribe with a grant as part of its Global ReLeaf program. This project perfectly demonstrated the purpose of the Global ReLeaf program, which is to restore damaged ecosystems by planting native trees. By planting 137,700 seedlings on 450 acres these partners hope to stabilize soil, restore the water to its pristine quality, and provide suitable habitat for many endangered and threatened species.

            This partnership successful reforested 450 acres of the Nez Perce Wood’s Property along the Clearwater River that were devastated by the Mile Post 59 Fire in 2003. The seedlings planted during this project will greatly improve the environment by providing habitat for wildlife and permanently stabilizing the soil in these areas. This will prevent erosion from polluting the Clearwater River , which many communities rely on for water. The seedlings planted will also be responsible for annually removing over 3,580,200 pounds of carbon dioxide and producing 1,790,100 pounds of oxygen.