Taylor Guitars Plants Trees in Cameroon

one of the ebony trees planted in Donga Mantung of the North West Region

Planting a tree nowadays they say is the greatest gift that anyone can give to humanity due to the phenomenon of climate change and global warming. The Ebony Project, an initiative of the US based Taylor Guitars has kick-started a tree planting project in Cameroon aimed at encouraging greater sustainability. It should be recalled that in 2011, Taylor Guitars took its biggest step to teamed up with the Spanish luthier supply company Madinter to purchase an ebony sawmill in Cameroon, thus becoming the world’s largest legal producer of legal ebony.

As part of the Ebony Project, Taylor has overseen the planting of ebony trees in Cameroon, including a recent batch of 1,500 and an equal number of fruit seedlings, at strategic spots in the dense rainforest. It is projected that an estimated 13,500 ebony trees are planned to be planted by the end of 2020. “The first trees were planted two years ago, and more were planted last year, Taylor says. “This year was incredibly rewarding, as we saw that the survival rate of the previously planted ebony was high, and that the plants had grown considerably. And this year’s plants are even stronger and heartier. Our confidence is high. The involved communities are happy. Honestly, it feels good.” Agroforestry farmers have applauded this initiative. To them, the project will go a long way to improve their standards of living as well as encourage the sustainable management of forest resources. To local government officials, the project is a laudable given that it will curb unemployment and stimulate tree planting in communities.

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