The Arbor Day Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation has more than one million members and has planted more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. The Foundation's stated mission is "to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees."

History

The Arbor Day Foundation was founded in 1969, the centennial of the first

Arbor Day Arbor Day (or Arbour Day in some countries) is a Secularity, secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date v ...

observance.

Programs

Through the global reforestation program, the Arbor Day Foundation and international partners have replanted more than 108 million trees lost to fire, insects, disease, and weather in forests in the United States and around the world. These rejuvenated forests help to protect watersheds, stabilize soil, restore wildlife habitats, improve air quality and create jobs.

Tree City USA

Founded in 1976 and co-sponsored by the

National Association of State Foresters The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) is a non-profit organization that represents the directors of the 50 state forestry agencies, eight United States territories, and the District of Columbia. State foresters manage and protect stat ...

and the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

, the Tree City USA program provides a framework for communities to manage and expand their public trees. More than 3,900 communities have achieved Tree City USA status by meeting four core standards of sound urban forestry management: maintaining a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and celebrating Arbor Day. Today, in all fifty states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico nearly 155 million Americans are living in Tree City USA towns and cities.

Time for Trees

In 2018, the Arbor Day Foundation launched the Time for Trees initiative to plant 100 million trees in forests and communities around the world and engage 5 million tree planters by the 50th Anniversary of the Foundation in 2022.

Team Trees

In 2019, Team Trees was formed when YouTube creators

MrBeast James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson (born May 7, 1998), commonly known by his online alias MrBeast, is an American YouTuber, media personality, and businessman. His YouTube videos, where he often hosts elaborate challenges and philanthropic effor ...

and

Mark Rober Mark Rober is an American YouTuber, engineer, inventor, and educator. He is known for his YouTube videos on popular science and do it yourself, do-it-yourself gadgets. Before he became a YouTuber, Rober was an engineer with NASA for nine years, ...

joined with the Arbor Day Foundation to raise $20 million to plant 20 million trees. The campaign crowdfunded $20 million in 56 days. More than 800,000 people donated from 200 countries and territories. The campaign set the record for the biggest YouTube collaboration and fundraiser in history with notable donors such as

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

and Tobias Lütke, who each donated over a million dollars. The goal to reach 20,000,000 trees was reached on December 19, 2019. and as of October 2023 #TeamTrees has raised $24 million

Tree resources

Arborday.org has a comprehensive set of guides and extensive information about tree species, selection, planting, and care, including a zip code look-up tool to find your hardiness zone. ARBOR DAY FARM This natural educational center in Nebraska City,

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, is the birthplace of Arbor Day, with 260 acres of land and outdoor exploration. Arbor Day Farm is home to Lied Lodge & Conference Center, an environmentally sustainable hotel with 136 guest rooms and a full-service meeting center dedicated to supporting tree planting, conservation, and stewardship around the globe. Tree Adventure, an award-winning nature-themed attraction, and Arbor Lodge State Historical Park are also part of Arbor Day Farm.

Gallery

9 Year Tree City USA.JPG, Tree City USA Growth Award sign in Onondaga County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Offutt AFB Arbor Day.jpg,

Offutt Air Force Base Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the ...

has been named Tree City USA for the last 20 years by the Arbor Day Foundation. Laura Busch during a ceremony for the Enterprise 50 Million Tree Pledge in St. Louis, Missouri.jpg, Mrs.

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (née Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American educator who was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009 as the wife of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. Bush was previously the fir ...

is joined by, from left, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns; John Rosenow, president of the National Arbor Day Foundation, and Andy Taylor, chairman and CEO of

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...

, for the 50 Million Tree Pledge. Arbor Day; Tree Campus USA (4089099977).jpg, Arbor Day Foundation event for

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

as a Tree Campus USA.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arbor Day Foundation Environmental organizations based in the United States Environmental education Urban forestry organizations Charities based in Nebraska Non-profit organizations based in Nebraska 1972 establishments in Nebraska Environmental organizations established in 1972