An award winning Tree Surgeon, Andy Stone from Nene Valley Tree Services Ltd has been picked as the lead arborist heading out on a mission to save the trees on Easter Island.

Andrew fought off strong competition from hundreds of other candidates, and has been chosen as part of a collective of ecologists and scientists to lay down roots on the Island, as part of a 10 year project to help re-surge reforestation efforts.

Easter Island, a special territory of Chile in the Pacific Ocean is most famous for its monumental statues Called Moai, which were created by the early Rapa Nui people. When Europeans “discovered” the island during Easter in 1722, there was not a single tree to be seen.

Andrew Stone explains “Easter Islands barren landscape has been a far from ideal climate for trees to flourish, what little rain the island does get, drains through the porous volcanic soil, leaving the land and grass completely dry again. That’s one reason why the island at the end of the world has stayed almost entirely bare, with no trees or shrubs. This will be a life changing move for the next few years and I am so excited for the challenge of Easter Island!”
Andrew leaves Warmington for his trip on June 21^st 2021 and excitingly, will be taking a brand new variety of tree with him, that he has been developing, specifically for the harsh climate of Easter Island. A mixture of Hardy Oak and Eucalyptus has been created, resulting in a tree known scientifically as Quirkas Eucalyptus Foolus and he plans to plant over 10,000 of them across the Island over the duration of the 10 year trip.