Several planting projects in the United States and Canada are highlighted below. There are many more available projects in numerous states and provinces. To learn about specific planting locations information and details on the planting project, click to view info about all our planting locations.
Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota
Established in 1908 as the first national forest east of the Mississippi River, Chippewa National Forest is located in the heart of northern Minnesota.
Its shared boundary with the Leech Lake Indian Reservation offers visitors the chance to experience Anishinabe culture and the rich history of the area including prehistoric times, the early logging era and Civilian Conservation Corps days. The forest’s large red and white pine trees make Chippewa one of the largest American Bald Eagle nesting sites in the continental United States.
In July 2012, a devastating storm with high winds tore through the forest, snapping off and uprooting tens of thousands of acres of conifer trees. Restoration of these majestic pine trees is critical to the wildlife that calls Chippewa National Forest home, including the American Bald Eagles that depend on the pine trees for their nesting habitat. The Ojibwa community at Leech Lake Indian Reservation has a special generations-old bond to these tree stands as well.
Your gifted tree here will help restore Chippewa Forest to its pre-storm condition with the planting of red pine, white pine, white spruce, and Jack pine trees, and help bring back the wildlife, including the American Bald Eagle, who lost their home a number of years ago.
Klamath National Forest, California
The Klamath National Forest covers an area of 1,700,000 acres located in Northern California and a small section in Oregon. This National Forest is truly one of America’s most biologically diverse regions: In the lower elevations, you’ll find stands of Ponderosa Pines, while in the higher elevations, the Douglas fir, sub-alpine fir and mixed conifer command your attention. Along with 200 miles of rivers, nearly 400 animal species reside within its confines.
There are wild horses and elk herds, as well as Coho salmon and steelhead populations. Sightings of river otter, mink, deer, bear, osprey and bald eagles are common along the Klamath’s rivers. Black bear, bobcat, mountain lion, badger, reptiles and amphibians are also widespread across the Klamath. More species of conifer trees grow in one area of the forest than anywhere else on earth. An astounding 17 conifer species co-exist within one square mile! The forest is also home to one plant that lives nowhere else on earth, the Siskiyou Mariposa Lily.
The region’s bird diversity is astonishing and includes the endangered northern spotted owl as well as northern goshawks and olive-sided flycatchers. Unfortunately, multiple fires in the last five years have taken their toll on this National Forest. The damage has affected not only critical habitat for the threatened northern spotted owl but also habitat for threatened and endangered coho salmon. And due to the large burn area in some regions of the forest, seed sources are minimal to non-existent.
Your gift tree planted in Klamath National Forest can make a real impact with the planting of trees including Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, sugar pine, white fir, and incense cedar. Reforestation efforts will shorten the time frame for re-establishing forest habitat for the northern spotted owl, protect aquatic habitat for coho salmon, provide slope stability, and reduce potential long-term erosion.
Custer-Gallatin National Forest, Montana
Custer-Gallatin National Forest encompasses more than 3 million acres of rugged mountains, including the tallest peak in Montana and remote buttes and bluffs of southeastern Montana and northwestern South Dakota. It features one of the most ecologically diverse landscapes in the region. Rugged wilderness, high peaks, and rolling hills can be found amid streams, lakes, and rivers.
In 2012, five wildfires raged through southeastern Montana. More than 140,000 acres of Custer Gallatin National Forest lands were wiped out, with much of the forested acres experiencing moderate to high burn intensity. The area is struggling to regenerate naturally and is in need of replanting.
Your gifted tree here in Custer-Gallatin national Forest will help with the planting of native ponderosa pines throughout the burn area. These newly planted trees will restore area forest cover, improve watershed health, and reestablish critical habitat for elk, deer, and goshawks.
Pike San Isabel National Forest, Colorado
Spanning more than 1 million acres in central Colorado, Pike San Isabel National Forest offers visitors a diverse landscape — from short-grass prairies to alpine tundra – an ecosystem rich in history, geology, scenery, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities. Not only is the area noted for the majority of fourteen-thousand-foot peaks in Colorado, but it also supplies more than 60 percent of the water used by Denver residents. Due to its beauty and location, the forest consistently ranks in the top ten national forests visited each year.
In the last 20 years, this National Forest has experienced several large wildfires. Not only have these fires had a devastating impact on the watershed providing water to the city of Denver, but in many areas, 100% of the trees were lost, and along with them, future seed sources for natural regeneration.
Your gifted tree here will help plant ponderosa pines and Douglas-firs to ensure the area recovers after the intense wildfire damage. These trees will re-establish critical wildlife habitat and protect Denver’s water source. In addition, the reforestation will provide new seed sources for natural regeneration.
Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington
Gifford Pinchot National Forest is one of the oldest National Forests in the United States. The forest is located in a mountainous volcanic region in southwestern Washington, encompassing over 1,300,000 acres. The forest’s highest point is at 12,276 ft. at the top of Mount Adams.
Unfortunately, this iconic peak has recently suffered three large wildfires. It is now necessary to restore these fire ravaged areas because the vegetation is not regenerating naturally. Your replanting will stabilize the slopes and improve the watershed health, making the revitalization of the ecosystem possible, helping biodiversity find shelter and hikers to discover original landscapes.
Your memorial gift tree here will help plant Ponderosa pine, western larch, Douglas-fir, and western white pines to ensure the area recovers after the intense wildfire damage. This selection of native mixed conifer seedlings is optimal to protect the forest from future fires and diseases, and aid in re-establishing critical wildlife habitat.
Florida – State and National Forests
Florida is home to 37 state forests and three National Forests. Healthy forests provide citizens and wildlife with a nice quality of life. However, in recent years, unhealthy forests have been major contributors to Florida’s disastrous wildfires and unprecedented outbreaks of southern pine beetles. Additionally, the region is frequently hit by strong storms and hurricanes, contributing to severe, long-term damage to forest resources. Longleaf pine forests and savannas have been drastically reduced from an estimated 90 million acres to less than 3 million acres, largely due to urbanization and over-utilization.
The planting your gift tree in Florida will benefit the state’s rich diversity of pine forests, wetlands and incredible ecosystems. For our reforestation projects, we will plant a mix of species including Cypress and Longleaf Pines, Carolina Silverbell, Chestnut and Palm, helping restore important ecological areas. By helping Florida’s natural environment recover from hurricane damage, flooding and wildfires, and through careful environmental stewardship, these protected forests will continue to grow and be preserved for future generations
Appalachia Forest – including Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Appalachia is one of America’s most beautiful and renowned regions. Stretching from the state of New York through all of West Virginia and parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, Appalachia is not only home to the namesake Appalachian Trail, but also the Ozarks and Blue Ridge Mountains. More than 150 tree species can be found in the region, making it one of the most diverse ecological regions in North America. Unfortunately, past mining and timber operations has caused an estimated 83% of the habitat to be lost.
Our planting projects are an effort to reverse bad planting techniques employed by mining companies in the 1980s. Back then the companies used heavy machinery to push upturned soil back into place. The result was soil so compacted that rainwater would just wash off and not get into the tree roots. The planted species had shallow roots or were non-native trees that could endure but wouldn’t reach their full height or restore the forest to what it had been. Now we understand better what is needed, and our planting partners are looking to restore forests across all Appalachian states.
The planting of your gift tree in the Appalachia Forest will include various types of oak, yellow poplar, American chestnut and hazelnut, silky dogwood, and persimmon. Supporting this project will return formerly unproductive mining, logging, and agricultural land to balance. Planting trees here will also benefit nearby communities providing them with better quality water. This project also creates meaningful jobs in communities suffering from high rates of poverty and unemployment. Our planting partners are also implementing conservation practices to ensure the forests are maintained sustainably for many years to come.
Oregon State Forests
Deforestation isn’t just happening in well-known global hot spots like Indonesia and Brazil’s rain forest. A new analysis says forests are also shrinking on land in Oregon, where an estimated 522,000 acres of forest cover have disappeared since 2000. That’s an area six times larger than the city of Portland, equal to more than half of Oregon’s designated state forests.
Your gift tree will not only help reforest lands along the Willamette River Valley in Oregon, but also help protect endangered wildlife as well as help keep watersheds clean. Oregon’s old growth forests provide habitat for hundreds of species of fish and wildlife, including threatened species like the Northern Spotted Owl and the Oregon Spotted Frog. Additionally, trees filter excess sediment, nutrients and toxins before they enter waterways. They also provide shade for streams, making them healthy environments for fish, such as Oregon’s rainbow trout, steelhead and Chinook salmon.
Your gift tree will be of a tree indigenous to the area of the planting project including Oregon’s iconic trees like Douglas fir, Oregon white oak, Ponderosa pine, Western red cedar, Pacific willow, Oregon ash, Western hemlock, black cottonwood, and big leaf maple. Our projects plant over 35 native species so that the full ecosystem is supported, and degraded forests can be restored.
Ontario, Canada
Given its remarkably large land area, Ontario’s forests are incredibly diverse. From the northern lowlands around Hudson Bay, through the Boreal forest, and on to the deciduous forests in the south, Ontario is home to a wide array of unique plant and wildlife. However, many of Ontario’s amazing forests are being pressured by natural resource extraction and encroaching agricultural development. On top of this, in April 2019 the Ontario government cut funding for its tree planting program, which intended on planting 50 million trees by 2025.
The planting of your gift tree in Ontario, Canada will include coniferous, or softwood, species such as pine, spruce, fir, hemlock and red cedar. This reforestation in Ontario will greatly benefit communities, biodiversity, and the environment. Planting trees will restore critical watersheds, rebuild important wildlife habitats, and will help combat climate change and global warming. Most importantly, your gift tree will help to fill the void left by the Ontario government’s termination of the 50 Million Tree program and ensuring that trees can continue to be planted across the province.
