More than 190 participants have joined the non-profit's Forest Health Project, registering 230 trees and planting another 80 on the island.
[February 26, 2026- Hatillo, Puerto Rico]- The nonprofit organization Conservation Opportunity (CO) has become the first entity in Puerto Rico to actively use the digital platform Healthy Trees Healthy Cities to record and monitor trees on the island, thus integrating native species into an interactive map of international scope.
The tool, developed by the U.S. Forest Service, allows tree inventories by species, simple tree health monitoring, and recording of both existing and newly planted trees.
“When I started using the platform in March of last year there was not a single point on the map (about Puerto Rico). We were the first ones to register trees here,” explained Mariela Vargas, CO Project Coordinator and leader of the Forest Health Project.
The main purpose of the project has been to promote awareness of urban forest health in Puerto Rico through educational workshops and hands-on citizen science experiences. As part of that goal, the organization set out to offer at least ten workshops during the year. So far, they have impacted communities in Hatillo, Manatí, Mayagüez, San Germán and Humacao.
In total, 191 participants have registered on the platform and currently, 230 trees have been inventoried and 80 have been planted as part of the educational and reforestation activities. In addition, the project participated in six different activities to promote itself.
On the other hand, according to the most recent data collected, 28 species were identified under the project through the platform, 12 pests were detected and approximately 78 health monitoring of some of the registered trees.
“Through this tool, they can keep a record over time and observe how each tree evolves by monitoring its foliage, pests, among other parameters, which allows us to make informed decisions and strengthen the health of our forests and urban areas. We invite all interested people to visit our website to learn more about the project and discover how they can implement this initiative in their own community”, commented CO's Founder, Fabiola Torres.
Beyond digital registration, the project has promoted direct action. “I see that apart from using the application under our project, participants are using it on their own, registering trees in their homes and that is the main objective,” Vargas said.
The project has also had key collaborations, such as the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, which donated trees early on in the initiative, as well as organizations such as Conservación Costera Puerto Rico (CoCo PR) and Para La Naturaleza. In addition, the World Parrot Trust has participated by offering educational presentations on the Puerto Rican Parrot.
Likewise, volunteers such as Adriana Sepúlveda Mangual, Agronomist and CO Marketing and Administrative Assistant, have also elevated the scope of the project and attribute that their experiences have been meaningful.
“My experience working in the forest health program has been an excellent one as I have enjoyed being able to help educate others about a topic that means a lot to me, as it is something similar to what my college internship was like,” expressed Sepulveda.
On the other hand, for Vargas, one of the biggest challenges was the first planting in May 2025, since that experience marked the beginning of a broader vision: not only to register existing trees, but also to plant and document them.
“After planting the donated trees with the help of volunteers and Boys Scouts, I went back several times with my family to water the seedlings and make sure they survived the summer drought. And when I came back after three months, I saw that they were doing super well and that there were more than 50 % that survived, that was super gratifying. The point is to reforest and the point is to throw some seeds, so to speak, as Puerto Ricans,” Vargas said.
CO, which has a particular focus on supporting scientific and environmental initiatives, chooses to continue its efforts to register native species so that other countries can learn about the flora and fauna that the island has to offer. The organization also continues to seek initiatives that support reforestation in Puerto Rico.
For more information about other projects of the organization, or information about volunteering, jobs and internships related to science, access its web page or social networks.
Written by: Yamilet Aponte Claudio, Editor-in-Chief, Conservation Opportunity