New Orleans, LA – March 4, 2025 – Restore the Earth Foundation (REF) and John Swire & Sons, Limited (Swire) have partnered to restore 10,000 acres of native bald cypress swamp forest at Joyce and Timken/Couba Island Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in coastal Louisiana. As part of this initiative, over 2 million native bald cypress and tupelo trees will be planted. This project adds an additional 10,000 acres to the more than 20,000 acres REF recently restored in the WMAs over the last 3 years.
Owned and managed by REF’s longtime partner, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), the WMAs are part of a total of 1.6-million-acres of protected Wildlife Management Areas in the state. The areas identified for reforestation in Joyce and Timken/Couba are part of one of the largest freshwater wetland systems in the U.S. Over time, logging, human development, saltwater intrusion and subsidence have impacted these areas, reducing critical healthy forested wetland ecosystems which serve as natural buffer barriers to flooding, storm surge and hurricanes.
“This site has seen long-standing decline in healthy forested habitat which threatens important species to coastal Louisiana and critical migratory species to North America, simultaneously this land loss has significantly increased the risk of storm surge and flooding,” said Shane Granier, Biologist and Manager at LDWF. “The decline of the ecosystems in the area will not recover naturally. Without planting high value native species to jump start restoration of the forest, the site would continue to degrade for the foreseeable future.”
Once completed, the 10,000 acres of native cypress forest will help slow or reduce land and sediment loss in the area, improve ecosystem services for the landscape, enhance wildlife habitat and create more storm resilience for communities. The improved coastal storm buffering capacity against wind, wave action and flooding will help protect and restore critical wetland and marsh habitat from fragmentation, saltwater intrusion, and invasive species. The reforestation will also generate over 2 million MT CO2e in carbon emission reductions over 40 years.
“We are thrilled to launch our partnership with Swire, starting with this important project in coastal Louisiana. Building on our 10-year partnership with the LDWF, we continue our push to restore 1 million acres in the Mississippi River Basin, North America’s Amazon,” said Taylor Marshall, Executive Director for Restore the Earth Foundation. “We would like this project to serve as a model for a new restorative economy, one with long-term benefits to all stakeholders – the communities, environment, wildlife and critical biodiversity of our coastal habitats.”
This project will also provide significant social and economic co-benefits to local communities and economies, such as job creation, quality of life improvements and enhanced recreational use and activities. Restore the Earth, with partners EcoMetrics LLC, will be measuring, monitoring and reporting on the environmental, social and economic value generated by this project.
“Signing this contract marks a significant milestone for Swire in our long-term commitment to sustainability and specifically carbon offsetting,” said James E. Hughes-Hallett of John Swire & Sons, Limited. “The Louisiana Reforestation Project is much more than a carbon project — it’s about restoring a delicate ecosystem, driving tangible environmental improvement, contributing to flood protection, and adding benefits to the community. This is our first step in turning the carbon-neutrality ambitions of our subsidiaries into measurable results, and we are proud to begin this journey with Restore the Earth Foundation and the LDWF.”
About Restore the Earth Foundation – Restoration at Scale
Restore the Earth Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. We’ve unlocked the business case for landscape scale restoration and we’re using it to restore 1million acres in the Mississippi River Basin, North America’s Amazon. Our mission is to restore the Earth’s essential forest and wetland ecosystems. We envision the Earth in balance — its original vitality and natural abundance available to all, for generations to come. Since 2008, Restore the Earth has secured over $400 million in private, federal/state funding to reforest over 150,000 acres along the Gulf Coast damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Our strategy and business model were triggered by a natural disaster—one that only a comprehensive and sustained partnership between the public and private sectors could effectively address. For more information visit: https://restoretheearth.org
Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is responsible for managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. LDWF manages, conserves and promotes manage wise utilization of Louisiana’s renewable fish and wildlife resources and their supporting habitats through replenishment, protection, enhancement, research, development, and education for the social and economic benefit of current and future generations; to provide opportunities for knowledge of and use and enjoyment of these resources; and to promote a safe and healthy environment for the users of the resources. LDWF supports a strong work ethic in its employees and incorporates the use of good science, accurate information, and technology in carrying out its mission. The agency continually looks for ways to improve the way we manage resources to ensure their sustainability and availability for all users now and in the future. For more information visit: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov
John Swire & Sons, Limited
Headquartered in the U.K and in operation for over 200 years, John Swire & Sons Limited, holds controlling stakes in a range of businesses including property, beverages & food chain, aviation, marine sciences, trading & industrial and healthcare. The Swire group employs over 106,000 people worldwide. The Swire Group is committed to working on the environmental, health & safety, employment, supply chain and community issues that their operations affect, and to work with other parties to promote sustainable development in the industries in which they operate. The approach is generational, meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This means promoting awareness of biodiversity and conservation issues among our employees, customers, suppliers and others with whom they do business and supporting the restoration of ecosystems in the areas in which their businesses operate. For more information visit: https://www.swire.com/en/sustainability/sd_overview.phpb