On a recent expedition to the volcano Iztaccíhuatl, Ismael Pérez, a mountaineering instructor, was disappointed to see changes at the volcano.

"Nine years ago, when I first climbed Izta, there was a lot more snow than there is now. Pollution has increased the temperature in the area, and now the snow melts faster. The problem is made worse without dense forests," said Pérez, 26, who also studies topographical engineering.

The National Commission on Natural Protected Areas estimates that the forested area in the region of the Iztaccíhuatl Popocatépetl National Park - often dubbed the Izta-Popo National Park - has decreased by 30 percent since 1990.

The Izta-Popo National Park lies at the intersection of the states of Mexico, Puebla and Morelos, and houses the adjacent volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, which are respectively the country´s second and third highest peaks.

The zone is a delicate one, as it is an important source of water for Mexico City and surrounding areas. Dense forests retain the humidity and cool temperature that are necessary to sustain the water cycle.

Tens of thousands of climbers will flock to the peaks of Iztaccíhuatl this season to catch a glimpse of snow. A small portion of them, like Pérez, are part of a budding group of enthusiasts that have become interested in helping to reforest the places where they practice hiking, rock climbing, and mountaineering.

Deforestation is a major problem all over Mexico, mostly due to illegal logging, forest fires, and agricultural expansion.

To combat this problem, Pérez encourages his students to help reforest by dispersing pellets of pine seeds, called "spheroids," in the places where the class visits. Additionally, these spheroids can be bought for a peso apiece at El Séptimo Grado, a Condesa-based mountaineering equipment store.

PARK CONCERNS

Park officials at Izta-Popo, however, do not approve of hikers reforesting independently in the park without official supervision or permission. Park employee Augustín Tagle cites concerns such as the risk that hikers will plant the wrong species of tree, or will toss the spheroids along the path, therefore creating too dense of a forest near the path.

Working together, El Séptimo Grado and Cultura Integral Forestal are currently planning with Izta-Popo park officials for a day of reforestation at the park that will be open to public participation in June of 2006. Participants will be able to spend a day planting spheroids in areas designated by park officials in accordance with park rules. Those who are interested in attending can register with El Séptimo Grado or Cultura Integral Forestal.

Séptimo Grado distributes the spheroids in collaboration with the non-governmental organization, Cultura Integral Forestal, the inventor and manufacturer of the seed spheroids.

Cultura Integral Forestal developed the spheroids with the hope of making reforestation more efficient and participatory. Each spheroid consists of four to six seeds encased in soil. Mixed in with the soil are various nutrients and other elements to protect the seed and provide it with everything it will need to germinate when water is added. The spheroids have the greatest success when they are planted, but they do not require being buried in the soil to take root. Therefore, they can be disseminated in large quantities in normally inaccessible places by airplane.

Once the spheroid is on the ground, only water is needed for the seed to germinate and take root. While the spheroids can be disseminated at any time of the year, the rainy season in June and July is optimal. The spheroid technique is meant to imitate the natural reproduction cycle of pine trees - whose seeds are dropped from cones and then carried by the wind - and is a departure from traditional procedures by which seedlings are grown in nurseries and then transplanted at a reforestation site.

Each of the spheroids costs one peso to produce, and with a small plane it is possible to reforest 600 hectares in eight hours. Cultura Integral Forestal director Abraham Rico claims that aerial dissemination yields a germination success rate of 70 percent, while burying the spheroid and watering it immediately yields an even higher germination rate of 95 percent. Within a year and a half, a high altitude pine will measure 30 centimeters, while other lower altitude varieties might grow as tall as 110 centimeters in that period.

With the cooperation of park officials and local land cooperative commissions, Cultura Integral Forestal conducted spheroid airdrops of local, high altitude pine varieties at Izta-Popo Park this fall. Several air drops are scheduled for June. Cultura Integral Forestal has also conducted aerial reforestation projects in Mexico City´s Cumbres del Ajusco Park, and in other areas of the nation, including the states of Veracruz and Chihuahua.

AERIAL REFORESTATION

The National Forest Commission, CONAFOR, still relies on the nursery-transplant method for reforestation over aerial seed drops. For the past three years, CONAFOR has been testing aerial reforestation using its own version of seed pellets. According to Oscar Estrada, the coordinator of reforestation and conservation efforts at CONAFOR, more tests are required before the commission will consider using the technique in its projects.

The mission of Cultura Integral Forestal, however, goes beyond airdrops. The organization also prioritizes involving more individuals in reforestation efforts, and has begun outreach to schools, universities, and the mountaineering community. According to Rico, greater participation will help create a culture of protection for the nation´s forests.

"If you don´t live the experience of planting a tree, you won´t truly understand the importance of it," he asserts.

The organization´s collabora- tion with alpinists began in 2003 when Cultura Integral Forestal made a presentation about spheroids at the BANFF Mountain Film Festival in Ciudad Universi taria. The store owner of El Séptimo Grado is the coordinator of the film festival in Mexico, which is an international tour of films about wilderness sports.

El Séptimo Grado now sells spheroids and collects donations of "a peso for a pine" at its store. Last year the store co-organized a reforestation event with Cultura Integral Forestal at the ecological reserve, San Cayetano, in the State of Mexico. Customers were invited to participate in planting spheroids, and about 30 individuals attended.

Rico asserts that El Séptimo Grado´s sales and donations have enabled the dissemination and production of 10,000 spheroids. According to El Séptimo Grado co- owner, Armando Dattoli, the store sells an average of 50 spheroids weekly to customers who disperse them on outings in forested areas near Mexico City. He hopes to get more customers involved in reforestation.

Judith Joffe-Block is a Mexico City-based writer and researcher. She is currently completing a Fulbright-García Robles research fellowship. She can be reached at jjoffeblock@hotmail.com.