Arbor Day Foundation

Last updated
Arbor Day Foundation
Founded1969(55 years ago) (1969)
FounderJohn Rosenow
Type 501(c)(3) non-profit
Focus Tree planting; Environmental conservation
Headquarters Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States
Area served
Global
Members
1 million [1]
Chief Executive Officer
Dan Lambe
Key people
Pat Covey, Board Chair
Revenue
$84 million
Website www.arborday.org
RemarksApproximately 5 million trees planted in America's forests per year.

The Arbor Day Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. [2] 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."

Contents

History

The Arbor Day Foundation was founded in 1969, the centennial of the first Arbor Day observance. [2]

Programs

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 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

Trees in Chico, one of the designated tree cities in the United States Fall colors along the Esplanade in Chico, California-9707.jpg
Trees in Chico, one of the designated tree cities in the United States

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.

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 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 October 2023 #TeamTrees has raised $24 million [9]

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, 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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arbor Day</span> Holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees

Arbor Day is a 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 varies, depending on climate and suitable planting season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forestry</span> Science and craft of managing woodlands

Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. The science of forestry has elements that belong to the biological, physical, social, political and managerial sciences. Forest management plays an essential role in the creation and modification of habitats and affects ecosystem services provisioning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reforestation</span> Land regeneration method (replacement of trees)

Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation but also after clearcutting. Two important purposes of reforestation programs are for harvesting of wood or for climate change mitigation purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tree planting</span> Process of transplanting tree seedlings

Tree planting is the process of transplanting tree seedlings, generally for forestry, land reclamation, or landscaping purposes. It differs from the transplantation of larger trees in arboriculture and from the lower-cost but slower and less reliable distribution of tree seeds. Trees contribute to their environment over long periods of time by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife. During the process of photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen we breathe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius Sterling Morton</span> American politician

Julius Sterling Morton was a Nebraska newspaper editor and politician who served as President Grover Cleveland's secretary of agriculture. He was a prominent Bourbon Democrat, taking a conservative position on political, economic, and social issues, and opposing agrarianism. Among his most notable achievements was the founding of Arbor Day in 1872. In 1897 he started a weekly magazine entitled The Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afforestation</span> Establishment of trees where there were none previously

Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees (forestation) in an area where there was no recent tree cover. There are 3 types of afforestation:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tree Line USA</span>

Tree Line USA is a program sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters which recognizes public and private utilities across the United States that demonstrate best practices that protect and enhance America's urban forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farmer-managed natural regeneration</span> Technique to combat deforestation and desertification

Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) is a low-cost, sustainable land restoration technique used to combat poverty and hunger amongst poor subsistence farmers in developing countries by increasing food and timber production, and resilience to climate extremes. It involves the systematic regeneration and management of trees and shrubs from tree stumps, roots and seeds. FMNR was developed by the Australian agricultural economist Tony Rinaudo in the 1980s in West Africa. The background and development are described in Rinaudo's book The Forest Underground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampa Bay Reforestation and Environmental Effort</span> Nonprofit environmental organization

Tampa Bay Reforestation and Environmental Effort, Inc. more commonly known as "T.R.E.E. Inc.", was a grassroots nonprofit environmental organization was based out of the Tampa Bay Area. It promoted the practice of volunteers raising and then planting trees along the interstates, roadways, and parks of the greater Tampa Bay Area to beautify and preserve the environment. Over its 40-year existence, T.R.E.E. Inc. planted over 31,181 trees and palms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akira Miyawaki</span> Japanese botanist (1928–2021)

Akira Miyawaki was a Japanese botanist and an expert in plant ecology who specialized in seeds and natural forests. He was active worldwide as a specialist in natural vegetation restoration of degraded land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urban reforestation</span> Planting of trees in urban environments

Urban reforestation is the practice of planting trees, typically on a large scale, in urban environments. It may also include urban horticulture and urban farming.

Forest conservation is the practice of planning and maintaining forested areas for the benefit and sustainability of future generations. Forest conservation involves the upkeep of the natural resources within a forest that are beneficial for both humans and the ecosystem. Forests provide wildlife with a suitable habitat for living which allows the ecosystem to be biodiverse and benefit other natural processes. Forests also filter groundwater and prevent runoff keeping water safe for human consumption. There are many types of forests to consider and various techniques to preserve them. Of the types of forests in the United States, they each face specific threats. But, there are various techniques to implement that will protect and preserve them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eden Reforestation Projects</span> Non-Governmental-Organization

Eden Reforestation Projects (Eden) is a nonprofit NGO that works in developing countries to rebuild natural landscapes destroyed by deforestation. Eden works directly with communities experiencing extreme poverty resulting from the deforestation and destruction of the land that sustains them. The organization employs thousands of local community members and provides them with the education and tools necessary to plant, grow, and protect to maturity, millions of trees each year. Eden currently plants approximately 15 million trees a month, and in 2020 reached over 423 million trees planted of which over 225 million are mangrove trees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Community orchard</span>

A community orchard is a collection of fruit trees shared by communities and growing in publicly accessible areas such as public greenspaces, parks, schools, churchyards, allotments or, in the US, abandoned lots. Such orchards are a shared resource and not managed for personal or business profit. Income may be generated to sustain the orchard as a charity, community interest company, or other non-profit structure. What they have in common is that they are cared for by a community of people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Rober</span> American YouTuber and engineer (born 1980)

Mark Rober is an American YouTuber, engineer, inventor, and educator. He is known for his YouTube videos on popular science and do-it-yourself gadgets. Before he became a YouTuber, Rober was an engineer with NASA for nine years, where he spent seven years working on the Curiosity rover at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He later worked for four years at Apple Inc. as a product designer in their Special Projects Group, where he authored patents involving virtual reality in self-driving cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MrBeast</span> American YouTuber (born 1998)

James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson, better known by his online alias MrBeast, is an American YouTuber and online personality. He is known for his fast-paced and high-production videos, which feature elaborate challenges and large giveaways. With over 228 million subscribers, he is the most-subscribed individual on YouTube and the second-most-subscribed channel overall.

Team Trees is a collaborative fundraiser that raised 20 million U.S. dollars before the start of 2020 to plant 20 million trees. The initiative was started by American YouTubers MrBeast and Mark Rober, and was mostly supported by YouTubers. All donations go to the Arbor Day Foundation, a tree planting organization that pledges to plant one tree for every U.S. dollar donated. The Arbor Day Foundation began planting in January 2020 and plans to end "no later than December 2022". It is estimated that 23 million trees would take up 210 km2 (81 sq mi) of land, absorb around 1.6 million tons of carbon and remove 116 thousand tons of pollutants from the atmosphere.

Tree Cities of the World is a worldwide programme managed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Arbor Day Foundation in the US, whereby municipalities of any size can apply to earn the designation "Tree City of the World".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Team Seas</span> Ocean-cleaning group by MrBeast and Mark Rober

Team Seas is an international collaborative fundraiser that was started by YouTubers MrBeast and Mark Rober as a follow-up to Team Trees. The fundraiser succeeded in raising over 33 million U.S. dollars. All of the donations from the fundraiser go to the Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup, with the organisations splitting the donations. The fundraiser pledges to remove 30,000,000 pounds (14,000,000 kg) of marine debris from the ocean by removing 1 pound (0.45 kg) of marine debris from the ocean for every 1 dollar donated.

References

  1. "Alabamians can get free trees as part of Arbor Day program". Tuscaloosa News.
  2. 1 2 "About the Arbor Day Foundation". www.arborday.org. Archived from the original on 2021-06-23. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  3. "Annual Report for The Arbor Day Foundation". www.arborday.org. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  4. "How Your Community Can Apply to Be a Tree City USA". National Association of State Foresters. 2016-04-26. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  5. Entis, Laura. "YouTubers MrBeast and Mark Rober raise millions to plant trees". www.prweek.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  6. Hirsh, Sophie (December 21, 2019). "#TeamTrees Hits $20 Million Goal to Help Reforest the Earth". greenmatters.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. 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. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  9. Foundation, Arbor Day. "Arbor Day Foundation and #TeamTrees Hit Major Milestone of 23 Million Trees". www.3blmedia.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-25.