The last planting event in the spring of 2026 found us in Poienarii Burchii, Prahova county, where Brink’s Romania volunteers, shovels in hand and enthusiasm intact, joined the Tomorrow’s Forest Foundation to plant 5,000 seedlings on a hectare of degraded land, on the banks of the Ialomița River.

It’s not the first time we’ve gone to Poienarii Burchii. The project started last spring on an adjacent plot, when the first 5,000 Pennsylvania ash seedlings were planted together with volunteers. Now, along with the ash, a new species has entered the scene: the manna ash.

Why the manna ash?

The manna ash tree (Fraxinus ornus) is a native species, related to the common ash, perfectly adapted to warm and dry areas. It plays an essential role in the regeneration of the soil and the consolidation of the banks, that is, exactly what the land of Poienarii Burchii needs.

Abandoned or degraded land on the banks of rivers is among the most vulnerable to erosion. Planting native species such as the manna ash is not just a symbolic act, it is an intervention with real and lasting effects on the local ecosystem.

People and roots

The land at Poienarii Burchii was not chosen by chance. The foundation is deliberately looking for places that local communities no longer use and where human intervention can make a difference. Mihail Caradaică, the executive director, explains the logic behind this choice: “We are looking for abandoned land, degraded land, land that local communities across the country no longer use and we bring value by planting a forest together with companies that want to get involved. We hope that in the coming years the forest will grow, and we won’t stop here: we will return in the next period with maintenance works, including soil loosening and vegetation clearing around the seedlings.”

Beyond the strategy, however, is the conviction that change is made concretely, with our hands in the soil. Antonia Anton, project manager at the Foundation, talks about what it means to have volunteers by our side: “Nothing we do would be possible without the people who choose to come with us. Every volunteer who digs, plants and waters a seedling directly contributes to changing the landscape of this area. Their energy and dedication are the engine of these actions.”

A partnership that grows

Brink’s Romania has been with Tomorrow’s Forest since 2024 and so far, the partnership has led to the establishment of new forests in the counties of Alba, Buzău, Dâmbovița, Iași and Prahova. Raluca Dumitriu, Managing Director of Brink’s Romania, explains why this involvement makes sense for the company: “For Brink’s, which has been securing the circulation of values for almost 170 years, Tomorrow’s Forest is a natural continuation of our mission: to protect what really matters. Reforesting degraded land means more life, more clean air and a better future for the communities we are part of.”

The Tomorrow’s Forest Foundation thanks all those who got their hands on a shovel, gave a helping hand or simply were present for a cause we all believe in: the forests of tomorrow start with our actions today.

The foundation continues to look for degraded land that can be brought back to life and invites any person or organisation to join them. Because a forest does not grow on its own, it grows with each person who chooses to plant.

More pictures are on our Facebook page.