Steal this idea - Trees from the Irish

Phineas McCall is stunned by the devastation in the Asian steppe country regions and begins a local movement to plant more trees. His innocent idea, that planting thousands of trees (fruit baring and others) will one day help the local environment and economy, catches on. Three years later, and thousands of trees, CNN does a story on him and his effort. Money flows into his organization, and he expands his efforts. The governments get wary; drug smugglers don't want the attention; water resources are hoarded. He seems up against the evils of humanity then...(your turn to make this a literary success.)