Seeing is browsing! Man single-handedly plants 40,000 trees on abandoned city center land, turning it into an urban forest home to 45 bird species

Way to grow!

These astonishing photos show the handiwork of retired Brazilian businessman Helio da Silva, who over a period of twenty years planted as many as 40,000 trees on a piece of wasteland in Sao Paulo, transforming it into a green park.

The 3.2 kilometer long and 100 meter wide piece of land is now a beautiful urban jungle known as Tiquatira Linear Park, with the The Tiquatira River runs between two busy avenues.

The once neglected riverbanks used to be a haunt for drug users, but now they are lined with thousands of flowering trees, comprising 160 species.

Helio, a former food industry executive, began transforming the country in 2003 after visiting what he says was a “deserted, degraded, dirty area” with his wife Leda and deciding that change was necessary.

This aerial photo shows the handiwork of retired Brazilian businessman Helio da Silva, who over a period of twenty years planted as many as 40,000 trees on a piece of wasteland in Sao Paulo, transforming it into a green park

The 3.2 kilometer long and 100 meter wide stretch of land is now a beautiful urban jungle known as Tiquatira Linear Park, with the Tiquatira River flowing between two busy avenues. Helio is pictured above leaning toward a tree

He started planting the trees without permission from the authorities using his own money. He spent money on plant cuttings that he then grew into towering trees.

Helio, 73, estimates he has spent around $7,000 (£5,382) a year on the park.

Officials in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s most populous city, eventually recognized Helio’s work and named the country the city’s first official linear park in 2008.

Authorities have since installed a playground, a football field, benches, an amphitheater, cycle paths, toilets and fitness equipment.

About 45 species of birds have been documented flitting through the canopy – thanks in part to Helio’s choice to make one in every twelve trees a fruit-bearing variety.

The park also helps prevent riverbank erosion, lowers temperatures in Sao Paulo’s concrete city center and improves air quality.

The self-proclaimed ‘tree planter’ – as Helio’s business cards say – moved to Sao Paulo from Promissao, a town 400 km north of the city.

He claims he was called “crazy” when he started planting the trees, AFP reports, but he continued with his project to leave a “legacy” in his adopted city, which he said “welcomed him ‘.

Retired Helio now spends his days checking on the trees: pruning, composting and even talking to them. It’s no surprise to discover that the avid naturalist’s surname – ‘da Silva’ – means ‘of the forest’ in Portuguese.

The unofficial park ranger plans to plant 50,000 trees by the time he finishes his thriving city center oasis.

Helio, seen here, claims he was called ‘crazy’ when he started planting the trees, but he continued with his plan to leave a ‘legacy’ in the city.

The park helps prevent riverbank erosion, lowers temperatures in Sao Paulo’s concrete city center and improves air quality