World Rainforest Day: 3 ways to make money with trees

Trees are known to give mankind breathing space. Quite literally and financially as well. And what better day to discuss the importance of growing trees than on World Rainforest Day.

Trees regulate oxygen levels—reiterating this just in case you missed it the first time. While ensuring you have healthy lungs, trees can also assure a healthy bank account. One of the key ways to do so is to “branch out” and invest in growing more of them.

There is a wide range of ways to make money from growing trees. Let’s examine some of the ways that you might be able to maximize your investment. 

Why grow trees?

Apart from being a sound financial decision, growing trees can be an ethical thing to do as well.

Yes, growing fruit trees and selling the fruit can earn you a couple of extra bucks, but each tree you plant releases oxygen and helps in the fight against global warming.

Trees also bring a range of other benefits. They can:

• Bring rain to the land. 
• Store water and stabilize the soil.
• Protect the soil and increase its fertility.
• Give shade from the sun.
• Provide windbreaks.
• Filter dust and clean the air.
• Provide wood, fruits, nuts, flowers, medicines and other resources.
• Provide fodder and habitat for livestock and wildlife.

How and where to grow trees

When looking to monetize growing trees, you need to consider where and how to grow them and that depends on the size and characteristics of your homestead.

In smaller homesteads, you can patch up small forest gardens – using trees to make the most of the little space.

Space is usually at a premium in a garden, but growing trees can still be a fantastic investment. Your little forest garden and polyculture orchard can provide a wide range of yields.

Choose trees that will benefit from the climate and conditions of where you live. Otherwise, it’s a pointless investment.

How to make money growing trees

Now that you’re done with the “why” and “where” to grow trees, let’s get to the “how we can monetize” your efforts.

You need to know which yields would benefit you monetarily. There are five potential ways to earn a profit from growing trees;

1. Grow trees for their fruits or nuts and sell them either directly, or process them into other products. Some of the trees you could grow are Apple trees, Walnuts, Chestnuts and Plums.
2. Raising saplings of trees that provide the above yield and sell them to other homesteaders and landowners. You can sell pot grown as well as bare-root saplings for higher profits.
3. Grow ornamental trees like the Bonsai trees, Red Maples, American Elms and more for resale as ornamental plants for home gardens.

It is always worthwhile remembering that some trees offer more than one. But to make that a reliable income stream, you’ll need to consider your primary goals of production before you branch out. 

One more thing, remember to value trees not just for the tangible yields, but also for the intangible ones. All in the interest of World Rainforest Day of course.