Truckee, CA – Jones Snowboards has partnered with the non-profit rainforest reforestation project Association Community Carbon Trees (ACCT) to fight climate change by reforesting clear cut swaths of Costa Rican rain forest with a wide diversity of native tropical trees.

Planting and protecting trees helps forests pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and recycle it into oxygen. The benefits of reforestation in Costa Rica are greater than most other places on Earth because trees are able to grow 365 days a year, thanks to Costa Rica’s unique location within 10 degrees of the Equator. Fast growing trees offset enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, much more than trees planted in non-tropical areas.

Founded by lawyer-turned-rainforest activist Jennifer Leigh Smith, ACCT is a group of full-time local workers and volunteers who have successfully reforested dozens of clear-cut swaths by planting and maintaining over 4,000 new trees. In May 2014, Jones Snowboards founder Jeremy Jones and his family traveled to Costa Rica and volunteered for ACCT. Jones and his family helped Smith and the ACCT crew collect tree seeds, plant saplings and prepare land for future reforestation. Witnessing ACCT’s efforts and connection with the community was a game changer for Jones.

“I’ve searched for years for a rainforest program to support,” said Jones. “I found it with ACCT. Jennifer takes real action for the environment and the local people love her. She brings them work and reforests their land in a way that they can make a living off maintaining the forests.”

ACCT managed reforestation projects are on a 25-year cycle. ACCT work crews maintain the the trees for the first three years and the participating landowner takes over the continued maintenance and receives instruction for an additional 22 years. Unlike many other monoculture reforestation efforts that only plant one tree variety, ACCT plants dozens. Some of the trees planted will bear fruit and some will grow into valuable hardwood that is acceptable to be harvested in 25 years. The estimated cost per tree for the 25-year cycle is $25.

As a member of 1% For The Planet, Jones Snowboards donates a portion of its annual 1% contribution to ACCT through the climate change organization Protect Our Winters. With its 2015 donation to ACCT, Jones Snowboards will help reforest an important biological corridor with nearly 400 trees.

“Our new partnership with Jones Snowboards comes at a great time,” said Smith. “ACCT is growing, planting more trees than ever and we are hopeful that more people will be drawn to consider their own carbon footprints and feel called to reduce and compensate with a validated and verified reforestation project like ACCT through seeing Jones’ example.”