fall 2011 newsletter

VOLUM E 1 1 , I S SU E I I I , 2 0 1 1 • P L A N T I NG T R E E S . C HA NG I NG L I V E S . • W W W. P L A N T- T R E E S . ORG

Johnny Ipil Seed Newsa publication of TREES FOR THE FUTURE

We deeply regret to report the passing of Trees for the Future’s founder, Mr.

David Deppner, who died on September 10th of colon cancer.

I first met Dave in 1950 when he matriculated at the Ohio State University in the College of Agriculture. He soon joined my editorial staff at the “Agricultural Student” and immediately distinguished himself as a writer. He took first prize among our staff members in the quality of his articles. It was soon apparent that Dave was destined to go to the top in the organization and indeed he was appointed editor not only in his junior year, but in his senior year as well. This repetition of terms as editor was unprecedented. Dave and I went on our merry ways after graduation. He was commissioned in the Army, and I went into the Navy.

Our paths did not cross again until he came to Washington in the late 70’s following his four years in the Peace Corps [Philippines], as well as working on various development contracts with USAID in Asia. On his return, Dave took a job in Washington with a non-profit where he led their tree planting efforts. This was an effort to Dave’s liking, so he and his wife established their own tree planting non-profit organization, namely, Trees for the Future.

As might be expected, the organization started slowly. His small staff was housed in Dave & Grace’s living room, which

crowded things there to no small account.

As “TREES” established mo-mentum, it was economically possible to buy the non-profit’s current headquarters, a house they converted on 16th Street in Silver Spring, MD. This move enabled the organization to add staff and expand operations to its present size.

Due to his skills and charisma, Dave was a superb salesman. He garnered friends from both private and foundation sources until his annual budget reached over $1 million. He initiated programs in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, resulting in the planting of millions of trees that supported the local economies

and improved the local environments. Dave was a dear friend who is greatly missed by those of us who knew and loved him.

Dave was supported by a passionate Board of Directors. I was fortunate enough to be one of them and thus was able to follow his operations close-up. A picture taken at a board meeting a couple of years ago is found above to the right.

Dr. John MooreChairman of the Board of Directors

A GIANT HAS PASSEDBOARD MEMBERS REMEMBER DAVE DEPPNER

“The basic technology we introduce is simple. People start taking hope and that takes the biggest pressure off the land, which is the

pressure of human desperation.”

- David Deppner

A quarterly newsletter of TREES FOR THE FUTURE, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people of the world’s poorest communities to begin

environmentally beneficial, self-help projects.

This newsletter is sent to all supporting members to inform them of recent events, plans, financial matters

and how their support is helping people.

BOARD OF DIRECTORSDr. John R. Moore - ChairmanDr. Peter Falk - Vice Chairman

Dave Deppner - In SpiritMembers:

Mr. Bedru SultanMr. Franz Stuppard

Mr. John Leary Ms. Linda Sobel KatzMs. R. Grace Deppner

STAFFDave and Grace Deppner - Founders

David Tye - Interim Executive DirectorGorav Seth - Managing Director for

Finance and OperationsCathie Bukowski - International Programs ManagerJoshua Bogart - Central America Regional Manager

Gabriel Buttram - Ethiopia Program ManagerCroix Thompson - Carribean and West Africa

Regional ManagerRyan McCullough - Administrator

Andrew Zacharias – Tanzania Program CoordinatorPeter Kell - Newsletter Coordinator

Jaimie McFarlin - Social Media

ADVISORY COUNCILDr. Mizani Kristos - West African Development

Dr. James Brewbaker - University of Hawaii Mr. William Campbell - Seasoned Energy

Mr. Steve McCrea - Global Climate Change, FLDr. Malcolm Novins - George Mason University

Dr. Noel Vietmeyer - The Vetiver InstituteMr. Sean Griffin - Forestry & GIS

TREES FOR THE FUTUREThe Loret Miller Ruppe Center for

Sustainable DevelopmentP.O. Box 7027, Silver Spring, MD 20907

Toll Free: 1-800-643-0001: Ph: [email protected]

www.Plant-Trees.org

I had known Dave Deppner on a personal basis since 1993 when we first moved to Maryland, mainly through family and church connections. After retiring from the military, in 1997, I became more involved in the local civilian scientific and technical

community, especially in environmental work, something that I had not been involved in for over 20 years.

As a result of this, in 2000, Dave asked me if I had an interest in becoming involved in a worldwide tree planting organization to foster better agriculture and rehabilitate denuded lands around the world. I remember telling Dave that my practical tree knowledge was not that great. I had helped my uncle in Germany plant a few fruit trees on his

farm when I was kid, and yet I had seen large tree planting operations in Anatolia by the Turkish military in the 1990s. I knew that these operations were designed to reverse the disastrous environmental effects of almost 2000 years ago when the Romans denuded most of Asia Minor. Most of the rest of what I know comes from chemistry and botany books as well as our garden. Dave just gave me his big smile as well as several books on leucaena trees, neem trees, soil conservation and forest gardening and also asked me if I could help on the Board of Directors since I knew something about project

management. I have been on the Board ever since and have come to know and appreciate the value and impact that Dave has had in the agriculture process throughout the tropical world.

Dave used a practical approach to bring results just about everywhere and TREES activities brought concrete results that allowed many people around the world to live better. For example, Dave used his Peace Corps experience to teach and to work (set up tree nurseries, plant trees in proper locations for maximal benefits, etc.) with local folks. Dave had very little use for complicated Government grants and projects, rather he very successfully solicited and obtained funding from many private donors throughout the world. Dave’s constant high energy pitch that he was always prepared to give to anyone from the smallest local organization to the highest levels of government and business was so successful that Trees for the Future was able to grow to the worldwide organization it is today.

Dave’s optimism, hard work, enthusiasm, as well as his willingness to constantly push the organization forward for the betterment of everyone will be a hard act to follow for all of us. It was through his efforts that the world in many spots is now a better place to live and thrive.

Dr. Peter M. FalkVice Chair, Board of Directors

Dave Remembered

2 Johnny Ipil-Seed News • Volume 11, No. 3, 2011 • Planting Trees. Changing lives.

REMEMBERING DAVE DEPPNER

"We have 300,000 farmers, 300,000 families in southern Ethiopia that see there is a big need to

plant trees. Multiply that by 100 trees per family maybe and think what you've got."

“We could be planting more than half a billion trees a year. It’s possible. There are that many people out there waiting for something. All it takes is getting the word around and creating some confidence that it can be done.”

“We have given people the ability to build their own institutions so that we don’t have some day in the future, some logging company coming back in there, pushing people around, trying to force them off their land, because now they have some growing businesses and some pride in what they are doing and a lot of confi dence in themselves. Th is makes the village life continue.”

“Right now there are over a billion people in the world who simply can’t meet their daily nutrition standards. There’s no need for this.”

“I got hooked into this and I’ve been there ever since.”

QUOTES FROM A PIONEER

Johnny Ipil-Seed News • Volume 11, No. 3, 2011 • Planting Trees. Changing lives. 3


David Deppner was born in Day-ton Ohio on February 13, 1933. He was the first son of Joseph Edward Deppner and Mary

Margaret Payne. His only brother, John (“Jack”) Deppner, was born two years later. When he was twelve, his family moved to a small farm in Miamisburg, Ohio. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of sci-ence in agriculture in 1954. While in college he was editor of university news-paper, The Lantern, and a member of ROTC.

He entered active duty in the Army as a 2nd lieutenant, detailed to artillery. Stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, he trained Korean and American officers and enlisted men, preparing them for the Korean War. During his service, Dave lost part of his hearing from the cannons and other artillery guns.

In 1955, at Fort Sill, Dave married Marty Bittner, who he had met and dated at Ohio State. The wedding had a complete military guard, including crossed swords. Upon Dave’s honorable discharge from the Army, the couple moved to Marion, Ohio, where he worked for the Wyandot Popcorn Company.

Soon after, Dave and Marty moved to Washington Court House, Ohio, where Dave worked for the agricultural cooperative system, assisting farmers with the marketing of their grain and running the grain elevator. There they started their family; Terry and Ted were the first children, and the small family moved several times finally settling on the family farm in Miamisburg, Ohio. They started an egg laying operation, selling eggs directly to restaurants in the Dayton area. To raise cash for the new business, Dave also worked nights at the post office for several years. Along the way, another 2 children were born: Jean and Joe.

While the egg laying business was rapidly expanding, Dave wanted to get back into working directly with farmers

in a consultative role. Dave heard about the Peace Corps and after deciding to sign up, he worked on convincing them that they needed to accept the whole Deppner family as volunteers. The family of six was extremely unusual for an organization that usually only accepted newly graduated collegiates, but Dave was persuasive, and soon the family was packing for a trip overseas.

In 1972, Dave and his family settled in Malolos Bulacan, The Philippines, as Peace Corps Volunteers. As an agriculturalist with swine and poultry expertise, Dave helped set up cooperatives and helped farmers get loans from banks to expand production. While initially planning to volunteer for two years, the couple signed on for an additional 2 year term. While in the Philippines, the family traveled throughout Asia. Dave wrote his thesis in agricultural economics and received a masters degree from Araneta University, where he then became professor of animal husbandry.

Upon returning to the USA, Dave worked for USDA at the poultry research farm in Beltsville, MD. His first

marriage ended in 1977, and on August 7, 1979, Dave married Remedios Grace Gruspe, and became the stepfather of Jeffrey, Oliver and Mary Grace Manuel. Soon after, Dave joined USAID and the family moved to the island of Madura, Indonesia. As an expert in animal husbandry, Dave worked with farmers to set up cooperatives that raised and fattened cattle for sale to the large cities. After 2 years, USAID posted Dave to Nepal, where he was tasked with similar responsibilities to his job in Indonesia. Later on, Dave was contracted to establish poultry businesses in Somalia. The Deppners lived for 2 years in Mogadishu, Somalia, where conditions were dire.

In 1982, Dave, Grace and several of his children formed Mapalad Development Inc, a real estate management company, to buy apartment buildings where apartments could be rented to newly immigrated families who lacked the rental and credit history needed on rental applications. Their son Francis was born in 1983, and Patrick followed 2 years later. During this period, Dave worked with Lindsey Madison, who had established the International Centre for Development Policy. This non-profit organization engaged in research and outreach on environmental issues, and provided a great springboard for the launch of Trees for the Future.

After many years of working with farmers across diverse ecosystems in Asia and Africa, Dave became convinced that reforestation was critical for protecting the land from degradation and providing an alternative source of forage for livestock. In response, Dave and Grace founded Trees for the Future on April 14, 1989. The organization was run out of their home for 9 years, after which they had grown considerably and therefore moved into the current headquarters in Silver Spring, MD.

Over the years, Dave’s eight children have blessed him with 18 grandchildren and one great grand child.

DAVE’S HISTORY

The Agroforestry Long Distance Training Program at Trees for the Future continues to be a free source of valuable education provided to interested participants from a wide range of countries. As the head of the

training program, I would like to personally thank all of our donors for their continued support that makes this program possible. The opportunity to learn about agroforestry at a formal institution is often not available to the vast majority of the population we serve. Therefore, I am constantly being thanked by graduates of the training program for the valuable services that we provide.

TREES Agroforestry Training Manual, available in eight languages, is used by a wide range of participants who use the information to add to their personal knowledge of sustainable agriculture practices, to understand how they can implement an agroforestry project in their community, and to pass the knowledge on to others.

Our efforts are constantly reaching new communities. On the right is a photo taken at a spring 2011 training session in the indigenous community of San Pablo, Oaxaca, Mexico, where TREES helped 20 participants learn about local tree species and how to incorporate them into their agricultural systems.

The training program is constantly evolving and we anticipate creating an interactive online system in the coming years, as well as increasing the diversity of our education materials to include more posters and information packets on regional tree species.

TREES moderates an online forum where program graduates share stories and experiences. Here are some comments from the program that you make possible.

Cathie BukowskiHead of International Programs

“Hi, my name is Safia Jowhar and I completed and graduated from the Long Distance Agroforestry Training Program. I found this training very useful . . . when I started I liked the simple way the manual explains each chapter and found it interesting too. What made it even easier for me is I involved about 14 local youth in Somaliland to participate in the training. We were talking about it as we learn together. I know life is not easy for them over there in the midst of wars going on as well as other more pressing issues such as unemployment etc. But I do hope they will continue their interest in agroforestry.” -Safia Jowhar, Somalia

“. . . until last week, I was working in Honduras as a Peace Corps volunteer and working on agroforestry trainings and projects. I think the Trees for the Future training manual and exam are excellent resources and tools for educating people about basic agroforestry concepts, the global significance of reforestation, and motivating them to be proactive in considering their personal/community development goals. . . Having an academic background in plant and soil science and international agriculture, I found the manual a thorough review. “ -Parker Filer

“I found the TFTF Agroforestry course very interesting, it gave me a insight on the concept and main techniques of agroforestry. Following the course I prepared a project proposal where agroforestry is combined with beekeeping (both components reinforce each other) in Sierra Leone. The project is now starting its second year, and participants are very enthusiastic.” -Charlotte Lietaer

“I have taught environmental science for years but knew little of agroforestry. Thank you very much for adding to my knowledge.” -Richard Weil, Brown College, Minnesota

UPDATES FROM THE FIELD

TREES TRAINING PROGRAM



TREES Burundi Program has provided many farmers and their families the opportunity to take control of their lo-

cal environment and access natural resources that provide economic and social benefi ts. Th is program works with a variety of local NGO’s, com-munity based-organizations, prisons, and schools. Th e Burundi Program started work-

ing with an organization called Hope for Burundi when it was initiated in 2008. Initially, TREES was work-ing solely in Ruyigi Province with 20 volunteers, but today is working in fi ve provinces – Ruyigi, Bujumbura, Makamba, Kirundo and Muramvya, with more than 215 volunteers. By providing seeds, training mate-

rials, workshops, and tools. TREES is helping local communities utilize agroforestry techniques to improve access to fi rewood, livestock feed and erosion control.Th e Trees for the Future Burundi Program has planted about 100,000 seedlings this year of over ten tree species.

THE BURUNDI PROGRAM

HAITI - REFORESTATION WITH ECONOMIC BENEFIT

Women sharing seedlings from the nursery they established together.

Above, Genio Vulsaint in Cariyes, Haiti, standing next to trees planted in the garden behind his home.Right, Senna siamea trees planted in Haiti in 2010

atop denuded, rocky soil highlight the contrast between deforested and reforested landscapes.

Genio is a Haitian farmer who has benefited from Trees for the Future’s agroforestry pro-gram for one year now. Last

May, Genio worked with TREES to plant Columbrina aborescens, Catalpa longitissima, Senna siamea and Swi-etenia macrophylla in his family com-pound, in the community of Cariyes, Haiti. Now he is witnessing the ben-efits from tree planting, as these fast growing multi-purpose trees come to life.

Not only are the trees providing nat-ural shelter from the heat, wind, and surrounding poverty, but they have also helped improve the productivity of his garden, where he is growing short term crops including beans, okra, and melons, which have increased his fami-lies food security. Genio has great hope for future eco-

nomic benefitsfrom the trees. He says that when his trees reach 14 feet (by 2013-2014) he will be able to sustain-ably harvest and sell them at 1000 gourds each ($25 U.S.), earning him $2,500 dollars for the 100 trees he has just planted. This income will be enough to help him as he struggles against endemic poverty. In 2009 an epidemic fever spread through the community, making life unbearable. Area farmers now attri-bute reduction of the fever epidemic to the return of forests and vegetation. They are also happy that TREES’ work gives them an alternative to cutting trees to sell as charcoal. This outreach and training has helped underprivi-leged Haitians in over 50 rural com-munities to combine ecology with economy, ensuring them a sustainable livelihood.


AROUND THE WORLD WITH TREES

Trees for the Future’s Konso proj-ect recently concluded its second year of a four-year project in partnership with two local orga-

nizations, the Konso Development Asso-ciation and Greener Ethiopia.

Earlier this year, we expanded to two new nursery sites that serve three ad-ditional villages in Konso. We are now working in four community nurseries in the Duraite, Gocha, Orbale and Debana communities of Konso Wereda.

Typically there are two rainy seasons in the region: the first and more precipitous comes in April, and the second, shorter rains fall in September and October. As many of you know, there was a disastrous drought this year in the Horn of Africa. However, Konso lies on the border of the drought-affected region so it was not as badly affected as areas further to the east and south. The April rains were delayed by about a month though, which post-poned our tree planting activities. And when they did come, they were not as heavy as expected.

To date, the primary result of the drought with regard to our projects is that survival rates from our September 2010 planting activities were slightly de-creased. The September-October rains seem to have returned to their normal levels, so we are expecting the trees plant-ed in April 2011 to have a better chance for survival.

Despite the setbacks from the drought, the Konso project is proceeding well. So far this year, a total of 255,759 seedlings of 22 species have been distributed and planted from the four community nurs-eries. The seedlings were planted at the household level as live fences and wind-

breaks, and in fields and gardens to pro-vide food, fodder, and fuel wood.

Soil and water conservation activities and tree and grass planting have contin-ued in the Pokada watershed of Duraite village. And now, more than a year after this watershed restoration project be-gan, the land has already significantly improved. The land, completely barren when the project began, is now being used as an agroforestry, soil and water conservation, and watershed manage-ment demonstration area. The watershed is managed by the local community, with oversight from the local Government Offices of Agriculture and Environment and Land Administration.

There are several types of soil and wa-ter conservation structures demonstrated on this site, including gabions, terraces, soil bunds, and water collection ponds. Over 80,000 seedlings have been planted in the watershed, along with grasses, to control erosion, increase water retention and improve soil conditions. Trees were also planted in an agroforestry system

alongside corn, sorghum, cotton and cas-sava. Upon my last site visit, I observed that several pioneer species of trees that were not planted through our project are now beginning to take hold, thanks to the improved conditions, and several native bird species are also returning to the wa-tershed.

Three more degraded watersheds have been identified and their boundaries marked with the help of our partners in the surrounding communities. Training was given to participating community members on soil and water conservation practices. With technical support from project stakeholders, community mem-bers implemented soil and water conser-vation activities along with tree planting for land restoration in these watersheds. These activities will continue and expand next year in all four watersheds.

Our work in Konso is continuing to grow, both in reach and in accomplish-ments. Konso Development Association (KDA), our local partners, along with the relevant local government offices and participating communities have praised the project for its success. Derese Koche-na, TREES’/GE’s Project Coordinator, is doing an outstanding job motivating our partners and local communities to pur-sue the project activities, and we are con-fident that we will continue to improve the livelihoods and environment of the Konso people.

SUCCESS IN ETHIOPIA DESPITE DROUGHT

PO Box 7027Silver Spring, MD 20907

Visit Trees for the Future at www.plant-trees.org

BEFORE & AFTER

WATERSHED RESTORATION, ETHIOPIASoil bunds, water retention ponds, and gabions are

created to prevent erosion as agroforestry tree species mature in watershed restoration efforts. Sorghum, sweet

potatoes and sugar cane have been incorporated into this site in Pokada Watershed, Konso, Ethiopia.

Insert: April 2010, and later in 2011.

Printed by wind energy on recycled paper with soy ink

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fall 2011 newsletter

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