Why We’re Moving Beyond ‘A Photo of Every Sapling’

A single tree photo is a nice moment, but it isn’t proof of long‑term restoration. We’re moving to richer, individual‑feeling, yet landscape‑level, updates, if required, via our new platform. You’ll still see exactly where your support lands, and now you’ll see how it helps whole places recover, season by season.

Why we loved the sapling photo too (the psychology bit)!

We absolutely get the pull of a sapling snapshot. We’ve stuck with it for a long time. Humans are wired to trust what we can see and to connect more deeply with specific, tangible things. In climate and nature work, that often becomes one tree = one‑photo. It feels accountable because it’s immediate and personal.

But feeling and proof aren’t the same. A single picture can’t tell you if that sapling survived summer drought, whether meadow structure is developing, if peat is re‑wetting, or whether voles, kestrels and pollinators are actually returning. When we over‑index with a photo, we risk soothing feelings rather than strengthening facts.

And the reality: one guy and a camera out in a field of 300,000 trees. Cold. Wind. Rain. Tiny saplings. Photos lost to weather or timing. Back up the hill they go. As attached as we were, this is not the best use of anyone’s resources.

Why move beyond ‘prove it with a picture’?

• Photos don’t measure survival, structure or function.

• Upside-down incentives: chasing optics on a muddy field distracts from restoration.

• Small-team reality: photographing every sapling redirects time and budget away from work that actually restores ecosystems.

We’d rather put your support where it counts: on the ground, and into monitoring that shows real change over time, not just a snapshot on day one

We’ve always put integrity first

Transparency and integrity have always been our north star. That doesn’t change. You’ll still receive precise context for your contribution (location within the project, what habitat you’ve supported, and what we’re doing there). We’re just replacing one‑off ‘sapling selfies’ with evidence you can use and stories you can share so it still feels yours, while showing how your piece powers the bigger picture. We think you’ll love it.

And importantly: you still have a choice.

If a certificate format better suits your team, your internal reporting, or simply how you share impact, we completely understand. We’re not removing that option, we’re just evolving our default approach so it reflects the integrity and scale of the work we’re delivering.

Long‑term protection

Your sponsorship supports work on land protected under recognised UK standards and long‑term agreements. These protections commit us to stewardship, often over generational timescales, with management plans and monitoring designed for the long haul. Short‑term promises don’t restore nature; long‑term care does. 

Digital MRV not digital wallpaper

We combine satellite, drones, and ground truth (fixed‑point photography, sample plots, water and species checks) to monitor whole sites across seasons and years. That’s how we show trends that matter: survival, habitat structure, water and soil condition, species use and resilience. Digital MRV complements our fieldwork; it doesn’t replace it. This works alongside our on-the-ground approach, not in opposition to it.

What you can expect:

• Individualised, mapped areas, so you can see where your contribution is going.
• Habitat‑level metrics that track survival, structure and condition (establishment checks, ground cover, canopy development, peat and water indicators where relevant).

Periodic visual updates like site photo essays, drone, and annotated maps that explain what changed and why it matters.

• Narratives from the ground: short field notes from our team and partners.
• Mapped context: where your support sits within the wider landscape.
• Clear cadences: seasonal snapshots tied to key monitoring moments, not just one photo.
• Why this matters for a small, high‑integrity team

Photographing every sapling is labour‑intensive and doesn’t improve data quality. By shifting effort from photo‑logging, we:

• spend more time restoring habitats;
• give you clearer, comparable evidence;
• keep overheads lean so more of your support goes into nature.

But I am a current client and I do want a certificate, I’m not bothered about the photo, just the location.

That is completely fine. Your choice remains.

Our new updates are becoming the standard because they show restoration honestly and at the ecosystem level. However, we know some partners have internal processes built around certificates. If that’s you, we’re happy to support you. Certificates will now include a standard site image rather than an individual photograph. Simply get in touch and we’ll work out the best format for your organisation.

Powered by partners

We’re a sector that believes in collaboration with like-minded people, so we’re using the lovely people at Sumthing to bring our refreshed update platform together in one clean, accessible feed: your impact page, easy sharing, optional redemption links, and more biodiversity options alongside trees. Integrity stays with us; Sumthing simply makes your support more visible and useful.

Together we move from ‘my tree’ to ‘our landscape’. That’s how nature recovers.

We’re committed to bringing you close to the work that delivers the long-term accountability nature deserves.

Sources and further reading:

Fassnacht et al. (2024), Forestry - Remote sensing in forestry (state-of-the-art review): https://academic.oup.com/forestry/article/97/1/11/715922

Singh et al. (2024), Methods in Ecology & Evolution - Best practices for drone remote sensing: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/2041-210X.14330

Jenni & Loewenstein (1997) - Identifiable Victim Effect (why “one-photo” proofs feel persuasive): https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/docs/loewenstein/identifiableVictim.PDF

Triodos - Feature on Sumthing’s transparency approach: https://www.triodos.com/en/articles/2025/sumthing