A community tree-planting project is taking root in the Valle Telesina, with Telese Terme and Castelvenere as its first focus towns.
Called "Verde Comune – Rotary per la Valle Telesina", the initiative aims to plant new trees and help redevelop public spaces, making them shadier, more livable, and better adapted to a changing climate. Soil permeability — the ability of soil to absorb rainwater rather than letting it run off — is also cited as a possible benefit of the work.
The project is promoted by the Rotary Club Valle Telesina in cooperation with the Rotaract Club Valle Telesina. According to NTR24 TV, it brings together the Province of Benevento, the municipalities of Telese Terme and Castelvenere, professional bodies, a parish, 30 local associations, and three schools.
Its environmental focus fits a wider Rotary approach: Rotary International supports community projects that protect and restore natural resources, strengthen climate resilience, promote environmental education, and address environmental public-health concerns.
How the project will work
Fundraising is planned from October through January. The reported channels include Rotary self-financing, collection boxes placed in local businesses, an online donation platform, and direct business support for tree planting.
The number of trees, the species to be planted, the exact planting sites, and maintenance arrangements have not yet been specified in the available reporting. Likewise, no fundraising target or donation-platform address has been published so far.
A public conference titled "Città che respirano. Alberi, suolo e infrastrutture verdi per la Valle Telesina" is scheduled for 21 November in Telese Terme. Project completion is currently planned by June 2027.
A pilot for the wider valley
The initiative is presented as a pilot. If the Telese Terme and Castelvenere phase succeeds, organizers say it could be extended to other municipalities in the Telesina Valley and the wider Sannio area.
For residents, that makes the coming months the practical window to follow: the October-to-January fundraising period, the November conference in Telese Terme, and the subsequent planting and public-space work through mid-2027.
What to watch next
Two points are worth keeping in mind. First, this is a planned program, not a completed planting: implementation results will only become clear once sites, species, and timelines are confirmed by the organizers and municipalities. Second, the breadth of the partnership — province, towns, schools, associations, and local businesses — suggests the project is intended as shared civic infrastructure, not a one-off ceremony.
Residents of Telese Terme and Castelvenere who want to take part can look for collection boxes in local shops, announcements from the two municipalities and participating schools and associations, and updates on the November conference and the online donation channel.
