Borealis is a Dutch crowdfunded project, run by photographer Jeroen Toirkens and writer Jelle Brandt Corstius. In four years, Toirkens and Brandt Corstius are making eight trips to the boreal forest that spans the northern hemisphere. 

One of our destinations was Scotland, where we visited the Trees for Life project. After our trip, we decided to donate a grove to be planted in Glenn Affric. We did this firstly because we were impressed by the heartening and excellent work of Trees for Life. Secondly, because we were looking for a way to offset the carbon footprint we cause by traveling around the world for our project. We are reporting on the forests, and the threats the forest faces, from logging to global warming. What use is our work when we help do destroy the very forests we care about? 

Finally, the donation is a gift to our supporters. Borealis relies greatly on crowdfunding. This way, our supporters are making this beautiful part of Scotland even more beautiful. One tree for each supporter of our project, starting with 150 trees. Maybe, someday, their children or grandchildren will travel to Glenn Affric and have a picknick (in the ten minutes that it’s not raining in Scotland) under a young and vivid Scots pine.