Trees for the Future
| Abbreviation | TREES |
|---|---|
| Formation | August 14, 1989 |
| Founders | Grace and Dave Deppner |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| 52-1644869 | |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) |
| Headquarters | Bethesda, Maryland |
Region | Global |
| Fields | Agroforestry, sustainable development, agricultural training and extension |
CEO | Tim McLellan |
| Employees | 220+ FTEs |
| Website | trees |
Trees for the Future (abbreviated sometimes as TREES) is an American nonprofit organization working in agroforestry and sustainable land use.[1]
Overview
TREES trains farmers, giving them instruction on planting trees on their own farms and integrating them into regenerative agricultural systems.[2]
The organization says it has planted over 370 million trees with more than 40,000 farmers in 50 countries across Latin America, South America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia since its founding.[3] In June 2021, it announced its intention to plant one billion trees as part of global reforestation efforts led by the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.[4][5]
Farmers typically spend 4 years in the TREES programme. The aim of the training is to equip farmers to regenerate the soil through the planting of trees, with many downstream environmental benefits.[6] Trees are planted in one acre plots, usually containing about 2,500 trees each. According to the organization, each of these plots offsets an average of 144.64 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) over 20 years.[7]
History
Trees for the Future, originally called The New Forests Project, was incorporated as a 50(c)(3) nonprofit in 1989 by Dave Deppner.
In June 1993, Trees for the Future was invited to join the White House panel on Global Climate Change, where it served until 2000.
In response to Hurricane Mitch in November 1998, TREES began planting trees in Honduras and later expanded across Central America. By December 2003, it claimed to have planted 30 million trees globally.
On September 10, 2011, TREES' Executive Director Dave Deppner died and was replaced by John Leary.[8] In 2015, the organization ended many of its active projects around the world to focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, starting with Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon and Kenya. It also announced a new strategic goal, to plant 500 million trees by 2025.[9]
By 2021, TREES claimed to have planted 316 million trees around the world.[10]
In February 2024, TREES was named a UN World Restoration Flagship by the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.[11]
See also
References
- ^ "About Us". Trees for the Future. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "Our Work". Trees for the Future. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "Trees for the Future Passes 260-Million Mark Ahead of Earth Day". AgriFocus Africa. 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "Trees for the Future to Plant One Billion Trees by 2030". The Good Men Project. 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "Our Work". trees.org. Trees for the Future. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- ^ "Our Approach". trees.org. Trees for the Future. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- ^ "Forest Garden Carbon Brief" (PDF). Trees for the Future. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- ^ Schudel, Matt. "David Deppner, founder of environmental nonprofit". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- ^ "2019-2025 Strategic Growth Plan" (PDF). trees.org. Trees for the Future. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- ^ "Trees for the Future". trees.org. Trees for the Future. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- ^ https://trees.org/2024/02/13/flagship/