Arbor Day Foundation

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Arbor Day Foundation
Year Founded1972
LocationNebraska, U.S.
Type501(c)(3) nonprofit
FounderJohn Rosenow
Number of membersApproximately 1,000,000
Trees distributed to membersApproximately 7,000,000 per year
Trees planted in America's forestsApproximately 5,000,000 per year
Area servedGlobal
FocusTree Planting; Environmental Conservation
Revenue$84M (2019)
Key peopleMatt Harris, CEO
Pat Covey, Board Chair
Websitewww.arborday.org

The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees.[1] Today, the Arbor Day Foundation has more than one million members and has planted more than 350 million trees in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. The Foundation's stated corporate mission is "to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees." The organization has a Charity Navigator rating of 3 out of 4 stars[2] and is based in Nebraska.

History[edit]

The Arbor Day Foundation was founded in 1972, the centennial of the first Arbor Day observance.[1]

Programs[edit]

The Arbor Day Foundation’s tree-planting mission is fulfilled through conservation and education programs aimed at restoring forests, improving communities by increasing tree canopies and recovering trees lost to disaster, and encouraging individual tree-planting efforts globally. These programs, initiatives, partnerships, and campaigns include, but are not limited to, the Forestry Carbon Credit program, Community Tree Recovery, global reforestation, #TeamTrees, Time for Trees, Tree Campus Healthcare, and Tree City USA.

Through the global reforestation program, the Arbor Day Foundation and international partners have replanted more than 108 million trees[3] lost to fire, insects, disease, and weather in forests in the United States around the world. These rejuvenated forests help to protect watersheds, stabilize soil, restore wildlife habitats, improve air quality and create jobs.

Community Tree Recovery helps residents who have lost trees in major disasters caused by wildfires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and insects by donating free trees to plant in their yards and communities. Since the program began, more than 5 million trees have been distributed. In 2020, recovery campaigns were held in eleven states as well as Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Burundi.

Founded in 1976 and co-sponsored by the National Association of State Foresters and the United States Forest Service, the Tree City USA program[4] 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.

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.

In 2019, #TeamTrees was formed when YouTube creators, MrBeast and Mark Rober joined with the Arbor Day Foundation to raise $20 million to plant 20 million trees.[5] 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 notable donors such as Elon Musk and Tobias Lütke, who each donated over a million dollars. The goal to reach 20,000,000 trees was reached on December 19, 2019.[6][7][8] and as of September 2021 #TeamTrees has raised $23 million [9]

Tree Resources[edit]

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, 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.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "About the Arbor Day Foundation". www.arborday.org. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  2. ^ "Charity Navigator - Rating for The Arbor Day Foundation". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  3. ^ "Annual Report for The Arbor Day Foundation". www.arborday.org. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  4. ^ "How Your Community Can Apply to Be a Tree City USA". National Association of State Foresters. 2016-04-26. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  5. ^ Entis, Laura. "YouTubers MrBeast and Mark Rober raise millions to plant trees". www.prweek.com. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  6. ^ Hirsh, Sophie (December 21, 2019). "#TeamTrees Hits $20 Million Goal to Help Reforest the Earth". greenmatters.com. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  7. ^ "Arbor Day Foundation and YouTube Surpass Donation Goal to Plant 20 Million Trees Through Viral #TeamTrees Movement". PR Newswire. December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  8. ^ DeAngelis, Marc (December 20, 2019). "YouTubers have raised $20 million to plant 20 million trees". engadget. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  9. ^ Foundation, Arbor Day. "Arbor Day Foundation and #TeamTrees Hit Major Milestone of 23 Million Trees". www.3blmedia.com. Retrieved 2021-06-25.

External links[edit]