The Forest is Growing: Early Signs of Success in Our Rainforest Restoration Trials

At ClimateForce, every day we walk the land with a sense of purpose and wonder. We’re not just planting trees—we’re rebuilding ecosystems, one seedling at a time. Thanks to our latest ecological monitoring data, we’re now seeing powerful, measurable signs that our organic rainforest restoration work is taking root.

Tracking Nature’s Comeback, the Scientific Way

Since the early days of our restoration trials, our team has followed rigorous ecological surveying protocols, based on the Repairing the Rainforest framework (CSIRO, 2009). This widely respected guide has helped restoration projects across the tropics, and we proudly use it at our tropical Far North Queensland site to assist in our OTG ecological surveys.

Our baseline on the ground monitoring focuses on floristic composition—the variety and abundance of plant species—alongside forest structure and fauna presence. Data is collected by our trained field team using fixed-area plots, recording species, abundance, and growth stages to build a detailed, comparable dataset over time.

The Numbers Tell a Story of Hope

One of the most insightful indicators of rainforest regeneration success is stem diameter at breast height (DBH)—a universally recognised measure used to assess forest structure, maturity, and biomass accumulation.

At ClimateForce, DBH plays a central role in how we monitor and interpret the ecological development of our planting trials. It offers a tangible, quantitative window into how young trees are establishing themselves, eventually contributing to the gradual formation of a multi-layered forest canopy.

In our Plant Out 1 trial, initial baseline surveys reflected what we expected in a newly planted environment: a high frequency of small-diameter stems, particularly those under 2.5 cm DBH. These slender saplings marked the earliest stage of regeneration—just beginning to adapt to site conditions, root into the soil, and push upward in search of sunlight.

As the trial progressed, however, we observed a notable shift in stem diameter distribution. Gradually, more individuals began transitioning into the 2.5–5 cm and 5–10 cm diameter classes—clear evidence that these young trees were not only surviving but actively establishing themselves. This shift signals successful establishment and early canopy stratification, where species begin to sort themselves into height classes and niche roles within the forest architecture.

What’s most encouraging is what came next. In the most recent rounds of monitoring, we recorded trees entering the 10–20 cm and even 20–30 cm DBH classes. These larger diameters are a strong indication that a subset of trees are becoming dominant structural species—those that will form the backbone of the emerging forest ecosystem.

This development is more than just a milestone in growth. Trees in the 20–30 cm DBH range begin to contribute significantly to above-ground biomass, carbon sequestration, and habitat complexity. Their presence marks the onset of vertical layering, a key element of mature rainforest structure, supporting epiphytes, providing shelter for wildlife, and helping regulate microclimates within the forest.

In short, DBH growth over time tells a powerful story: our forest is moving from a planted array of seedlings to a self-organising, living system—one capable of supporting biodiversity, storing carbon, and withstanding environmental stress. It’s a visual and measurable testament to the power of well-designed, adaptive restoration.

And as these trees continue to grow, so too does the forest’s potential to function as a resilient, regenerative ecosystem—a vital step toward long-term rainforest recovery.

Experimenting for Faster Regeneration

We trialled two planting densities in Plant Out 1. Plot 2 (3,500 stems/ha) grew faster than Plot 1 (2,500 stems/ha), suggesting that denser planting encouraged faster vertical growth through natural competition for light and/or cohesion between a community of species, supporting the strongest to survive.

In Plant Out 2, we used a lower planting density (1,522 stems/ha) but paired it with innovative organic management—such as specialised mulches, targeted weeding, and companion planting. Interestingly, these low-density plots outperformed high-density plots in DBH growth over the same time frame, showing that integrated, organic design can boost early forest development, alongside effective species selection.

This finding opens up exciting possibilities for future large-scale restoration: smarter, not necessarily denser, can be just as effective.

The Forest of Tomorrow

While still early in the study, these results give us clear evidence that our trial designs are supporting strong upward regeneration trajectories.

The seedlings we planted just a few years ago are forming young forests with emerging canopy layers. These structures will become critical habitats for returning wildlife and will begin to sequester significant amounts of carbon as the forest matures.

We are eager to continue monitoring whether these early advantages persist as the forest matures and self-thins naturally.

Listening, Watching, and Mapping: The Next Frontier of Monitoring

At ClimateForce, we’re expanding our toolkit to understand every dimension of rainforest recovery:

• Bioacoustic monitoring is capturing the living soundscape—from the calls of birds and frogs to the subtle background hum of insects and mammals. These sound signatures will help us track biodiversity trends non-invasively.

• Camera traps are providing valuable visual evidence of wildlife returning to our plots, from marsupials to rainforest birds, giving us a first-hand look at habitat use and animal behaviour.

• High-resolution orthomosaic drone data is being processed to generate canopy height models, allowing us to track how fast our trees are growing and how the forest is developing into complex, multi-layered habitats.

These tools will soon provide us with unprecedented insights into how organic regeneration transforms degraded landscapes into vibrant, resilient ecosystems.

Join Us on This Journey

Every data point, every returning species, every growing tree is a step forward for nature and climate action.

We are proving that organic rainforest restoration works, and that by applying rigorous science and innovation, we can accelerate ecosystem recovery at scale.

Plant Out 4 is coming together, to be implemented in June 2025 — our most dynamic and integrated system yet! This phase blends rainforest regeneration with food-producing agroforestry systems, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in land restoration.

By combining ecological recovery with resilient food production, we’re scaling up our capacity to pioneer self-sustaining, diversified land management models that work with nature, not against it.

The future invites us to reimagine how human needs and ecological wellbeing can thrive together. It’s a chance to design systems where people and the planet grow in harmony — not in competition.

Stay connected as we continue to write the next chapter in this vital work - the forest is growing, and so is the hope for our planet.