Trees for the Future (sometimes called TREES) is an American nonprofit group that works in agroforestry and sustainable land use. Agroforestry means using trees and farming together, and sustainable land use means using land in a way that helps the environment and keeps it healthy.
Overview
TREES teaches farmers how to plant trees on their land and combine them with farming methods that help the soil recover. Since it was started, TREES has helped more than 40,000 farmers in 50 countries plant over 370 million trees. These countries include parts of Latin America, South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia. In June 2021, TREES shared its goal to plant one billion trees as part of worldwide efforts led by the United Nations to restore ecosystems.
Farmers usually take 4 years to complete the TREES program. The training helps farmers grow trees to improve soil health, which also benefits the environment in many ways. Trees are planted in one-acre areas, with about 2,500 trees in each area. TREES reports that each of these areas helps reduce an average of 144.64 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) over 20 years.
History
Trees for the Future, originally named The New Forests Project, became a nonprofit organization in 1989. It was founded by Dave Deppner.
In June 1993, Trees for the Future joined a group at the White House that studied global climate change. It remained part of this group until 2000.
Because of Hurricane Mitch in November 1998, Trees for the Future started planting trees in Honduras. Later, it expanded its work to other countries in Central America. By December 2003, the organization said it had planted 30 million trees worldwide.
On September 10, 2011, Dave Deppner, the leader of Trees for the Future, passed away. John Leary became the new leader. In 2015, the organization stopped many of its projects worldwide and focused on countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, and Kenya. It also set a new goal: to plant 500 million trees by 2025.
By 2021, Trees for the Future said it had planted 316 million trees around the world.
In February 2024, Trees for the Future received a special award from the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. It was named a UN World Restoration Flagship.