Have you planted your own tree yet?

We plant a tree for every single product we sell - it's never been easier to do something good and give something back to nature. But what could be cooler than planting your own tree? Try it out - with the NIKIN TreePlanting kit!

We plant a tree for every single product we sell - it's never been easier to do something good and give something back to nature. But what could be cooler than planting your own tree? Try it out - with the NIKIN TreePlanting kit!

Since 2016, we have been planting trees in various places around the world. In the meantime, there are already around 390,000 trees and many more are to be added - because, as we know, there can never be enough trees. We do this together with our partner organisation OneTreePlanted, a renowned non-profit organisation from the USA. The trees will be planted where they have previously disappeared for various reasons such as agriculture, the timber industry, habitat or natural events such as forest fires, droughts, etc. We also organised the first NIKIN Tree Planting Day in spring 2019, where we planted around 500 trees in a local forest in Lenzburg with 50 volunteers. More Tree Planting Days are to follow soon.

A tree does not need much

Our TreePlanting kit contains three Swiss grown spruce seeds, a pile of soil and detailed instructions. That's all it takes - except maybe a little patience and a lot of affection from you.

The more trees the better!

Fortunately, Switzerland has so far been spared from mass illegal forest clearance or major natural disasters with long-term effects. Of course, our legal system provides a certain degree of security that we will not be confronted with the former problem in the future. And yet more and more green spaces are disappearing - also in Switzerland. And that's why it certainly doesn't hurt to lend a hand and do something yourself. Plant your own tree!

Threats to our forests

Our native forests also face challenges time and again, partly caused by us humans, but also by natural events:

• Forest fires: Every year, 40-80 fires occur in Swiss forests, 90% of which are caused by people - either negligently or intentionally. Especially in hot summers like the one we experienced in 2018, the risk of a forest fire increases significantly. One of the most devastating forest fires in Switzerland then also took place in a heat summer in 2003. Above Leuk (Canton Valais), more than 450 hectares of forest with about 200,000 trees were destroyed - as much as during an entire year in the whole of Switzerland! Graubünden and Ticino also have to deal with regular forest fires.
• Snow avalanches: Mountain forests are considered natural barriers to small and medium-sized avalanches by preventing them from breaking through. In the case of larger avalanches, however, even they usually don't stand a chance. The snowy winter of 2017/2018 was also remembered by the people of Valais: in the Turtmann Valley, avalanches destroyed around 15 hectares of forest and numerous mountain huts.
• Diseases and pests: Fungi and insects in particular attack trees and cause them considerable damage. Spruce trees affected by environmental influences or diseases are considered breeding grounds for bark beetles, meaning that periods of heat and drought cause beetle populations to rise next . The winter storms of January 2018 created additional breeding material, exacerbating the situation next - which is still showing its effects today. Timely clearance of damaged trees is the best precaution for beetle control, he said. Alien organisms, against which our trees cannot defend themselves well, pose another challenge.
• Other natural events such as rockfall, floods, landslides and erosion are also among the challenges facing our forests.

Planting trees makes people happy

Even though our forest is protected by law from clearing (except in exceptional cases), challenges and damage that are either caused by humans or also happen naturally are part of it. It is therefore all the more important to value the forest and contribute to its continued existence. On your doorstep, in the garden next door or in the forest: it doesn't matter where you plant your tree. The main thing is that you have fun and will soon be proud to watch your self-planted tree grow. Good luck!

ATTENTION: For legal reasons, we are unfortunately not allowed to send the seeds beyond the Swiss border - therefore the NIKIN TreePlanting kit is currently only available in Switzerland.