Community Forests International is holding a 5K fundraiser to help its preservation and protection work, including the Acadian forest here in the Maritimes.

Development Manager Dana Lipnicki is organizing the athletic event for next Sunday, March 21st, on International Day of Forests, and all funds will go straight to protecting the 32 species of Maritime trees.

“Preservation and restoration go hand in hand,” says Lipnicki. “We own over 1600 acres of forest in New Brunswick currently, so now it’s preserved…We have a lot of different types of trees in the Acadian forest, 32 different species to be exact, and part of restoring the land involves replanting the forests if we encounter newly cut parcels of land.”

The 5K is next Sunday, the 21st, and can be completed on foot, bike, snowshoes, or any other mode of outdoor transportation. Showing support without sweating is also possible. Supporters can sponsor a participant or simply donate to the organization in honor of International Day of the Forests. All donations are tax deductible.

Lipnicki says the Acadian forest, which sprawls across the Maritime provinces and parts of the northeastern United States, is disappearing. Thanks to mass harvesting, only 5% of the biodiverse forest is left standing.

“The Acadian forest itself is so special…it’s only found in this part of the world. It’s the transition zone between the Boreal forest to the north, and the northern hardwood forest in the south,” explains Lipnicki. “The natural Acadian forest actually hardly exists anymore, less than 5% of it is left because of harvesting. So it’s really, really important that we’re protecting our forests. Because if we don’t, who will?”

New Brunswickers will see a dramatic change in their environment and landscape unless the Acadian forests are preserved.

“I think the reason why a lot of us have chosen to live in the Maritimes is because we’re so attracted to the landscape. We can’t separate our environment from our culture. If we don’t protect our forests, there’s going to be more and more of a cascade of loss that we see a variety of biodiversity loss that already is more prevalent than we would like it to be.”

Information on how to register, donate, or sponsor a participant of the Community Forest International 5K fundraiser is available here.

Hear this story as reported: