A Day in the Life of an Afforestation Scientist: from childhood treks to 15,000 trees- my full-circle moment in Denmark
- Naksha Kasal
- Jul 19
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 13
by Naksha Kasal
✈️ Flying to Denmark... to Plant a Forest?
On the road again, but this time, something very unexpected. We are flying to Denmark to plant 15,000 trees! 13-year-old me, spent many school holidays hiking and camping through wildlife parks and those childhood trips were when I first fell in love with nature. That kind of joy—the kind where your heart feels full just being outdoors—turned into something bigger as I grew up. For me, it became a mission. The more I learned about biodiversity loss, the more I felt I wanted to do something about it.
They say there are few moments in life which come full-circle, and this moment for sure takes the cake. So, you must guess how happy I felt—excitement was palpable. The basis of the project is studying whether adding forest soil when planting young trees can help them grow better. Basically: can giving a sapling a little microbial “head start” help reforestation efforts succeed faster? It’s a huge plot, divided into blocks, that will contain two types of trees—oak or maple—and a block with mixed species. The experiment was conducted in a complete randomized block design and……… ahhh, I will not bore you with further details. This is a blog and not a scientific paper, after all.
Let’s jump to Day 1.
🌱 Day 1: The Planting Begins
We slept very well, although it was short, as the team leader Ludo says we need to be at campus at 7. We get ready, go to campus, get our coffees, load the vans, and Ludo does one last check that we have everything. The team laughs as she does this, as the previous week they took filled coffee jars but forgot the cups, and them being all coffee lovers, would not want to repeat the same mistake again.
🚐 The Field Awaits
We get into 2 vans, 5 people each, and sit back for a short (or long, depending on who you ask) drive to the field site. 45 minutes later, we arrive. Pants are rolled down and boots are zipped up. It was 17/18 degrees, and the sky was fairly cloudy. The weather was also nice (or not, depending again on who you ask). Personally, my tropical soul wished it was warmer and sunnier, but eh, at least it wasn’t raining.
🛠️ How Do You Plant 15,000 Trees Anyway?
The field was divided into plots. Each plot would either have oak, maple, or a mix of species. My job: help the “planters” (aka bachelor students doing this as part of their coursework) plant the trees and add forest soil into each hole. We should keep in mind the lines and the amount of soil needed to be added in each tree hole while being planted in the ground. The planters do the rest. We are all paired with one planter.
Here’s how it worked: they dig the hole with a spade, place the tree, and then we finish the job off by pouring 10 dcl or 20 dcl of soil in the hole and covering it up. The buckets and cups that hold exactly the amount of soil we need were prepared for us. Sounds easy, right? This should be a breeze! We will be done in no time 🙂
😅 My Rookie Mistake
With Ludo’s, the weather gods’, and future generations’ blessings, we began. Me and my planter chose one of the blocks and made our way. I had my bucket filled up with old forest soil and whenever the planter made a hole and placed a tree, I put some old forest soil and covered it up. Each row had around 18 trees to be planted and each block had 12 rows.
And on we went, me and my planter, tree after tree. This seems easy up till now. Me and my planter chat with each other, we are stuck with each other for this day (not complaining xD).
Until... mistake #1: I filled my bucket way too much. I truly underestimated my strength and all those gym days and thought I was stronger than this. Lesson learned. By the next plot, I was filling it halfway. We continued: tree after tree, plot after plot, walk, bend, repeat, and by the time we finished the first block—15 trees per row, 15 rows per block—I realized I had unknowingly signed up for a day-long deadlifting session. Pretty sure my gym trainer would have been proud.
☕ Coffee Break & Reality Check
At 10 AM, we broke for coffee. I did not expect to sweat in Nordic weather. Everyone was discussing the planting stories and I realized, I wasn’t the only one struggling. YAY!
🏋️ More Trees, More Deadlifts
And then we got back to planting. I must say, it does get easier over time. Plant, soil, cover, repeat. I was at around, let’s see, 1 plot * 15 rows into 15 trees per row… 225 tree squats? and all this, before lunch.
On we continued, until 5 PM with a short lunch break in between. We were exhausted, in stark contrast however, were the planter students, who were still chirpy and joking around. They said their secret was McDonald’s, which they planned to go to for dinner. I agree, nothing better than junk food after a long day of hard physical work. Meanwhile, we could barely think. I genuinely wondered how farmers do this every single day.
But—Ludo gave us the best news: we planted way more than she expected. She promised tomorrow would be much easier. They also tell us they are planning a barbecue on Thursday after we finish, which definitely brought up our spirits!
🛏️ Evening Recovery: Thai Food & Sleep
Back at the Airbnb, me and Annemiek looked at each other, laughed, and agreed we had the energy for only two things: shower and food.
Hot shower: check.Thai food with spicy soup: check. (Did it help the muscle soreness? Who knows. Was it delicious? Absolutely.)
We were in bed by 8 PM. Tomorrow awaited.
🌳 Day 2: Slightly Less Alive, But Still Planting Trees
We wake up early, but this time, my arms, back, and legs—everything protested. Annemiek and I both feel the soreness from yesterday and laugh; we would have never expected that tree planting could bring us pain. We try to think of all the things nature has given us and of future generations, and with a hopeful and grateful feeling, we head to campus. We’re also excited because today, the job will be finished.
The same drill: coffee, van loading, Ludo doing her checklist (yes, we have the cups today), and off we go. This time, the drive feels a little shorter, maybe because we all know what’s coming. We roll down our pants, zip up our boots, and get briefed again by Ludo. Today, the plan is to finish the remaining blocks and then help with some extra tasks like putting markers and making sure everything is properly labeled.
The Planting Pros (That’s Us Now, Right?)
My planter and I are more in sync today. We barely need to talk about the work itself now, we just chat about random things in between planting. She shared fun Danish facts with me, like how some showers in Denmark are placed below the sink. This was funny, as in our Airbnb we found that the shower room was really small—guess we were lucky, at least the shower wasn’t actually below the sink.
We work through the rows, block by block. Coffee break at 10 AM feels like a gift from the heavens. Everyone’s tired but smiling, probably thinking about that barbecue and the fact that today’s the last planting day.
By lunchtime, we’ve finished most of the work. Ludo came by with the best news of the day: "You're ahead of schedule. We might finish early." We knew we were on that final stretch. We speed up for the last few rows. I can’t help but feel proud looking back at all the little trees we planted. It’s a crazy thought—these tiny saplings will grow into a forest one day.
3 PM: Done and Dusted (and Very Dirty)
And…done! We plant the last sapling tree. Its only 3 PM today, way earlier than yesterday. We all feel lighter, as if the weight of a whole forest has been lifted from our shoulders. The planters are still energetic however, and joke about getting McDonald’s again. I, however, am dreaming of another hot shower and maybe a nap.
On the way back, we all revel in the work we have accomplished. Ludo, the up-lifter, reminded us of the barbecue coming up and gave us a big thank-you speech. Honestly, I think we all felt pretty proud. Mission accomplished. 15,000 trees planted. Countless squats and deadlifts performed, and a bunch of tired but happy humans ready for their next adventure (or nap).
Tomorrow is a free day for most, and I can’t wait to just sleep in. Back at the Airbnb, it’s the same routine—showers, food, and collapsing into bed. This time we order pizza, too tired to think about anything else.
🌟 Final Thoughts: Worth Every Ache
If you’re wondering whether planting trees for two days straight hurts—yes, it does. But would I do it again? Absolutely.
Because one day, someone’s going to walk through this forest. And maybe, they’ll fall in love with nature the way I did when I was 13. And honestly? That’s worth every single deadlift.
At immigration, they asked me why I was flying to Denmark, and I said “Well, we’re planting a thousand trees as part a research study.” and the officer laughs and says, “Well we need some trees here”. I agree wholeheartedly. The job is never really finished—and it shouldn't be.
Other than camping and wildlife treks, forests act quite literally as the lungs of our planet—they produce the oxygen we breathe, regulate our climate, protect biodiversity, and store carbon. Without them, we risk losing the very systems that keep us alive.
Thus, every small effort matters, whether it’s planting a forest or simply making more mindful choices in our daily lives. We all have a role to play in shaping a greener future, whether we are a scientist, a student, or just someone who cares, there’s would always be something we can do.
So let this be a reminder: the planet doesn’t need superheroes, it needs committed people doing what they can, where they can. One tree at a time.
If you want to do cool stuff like this, get in touch with us!
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