Silver Spring, MD (January 5, 2021) – Sustainable agriculture nonprofit Trees for the Future (TREES) announced Tuesday that they’ve planted more than 200 million trees around the world. Tens of thousands of farmers planted the trees on their own land over the last three decades in conjunction with agroforestry training provided by TREES.
The milestone was met with support from thousands of individual donors and more than 300 brand partners. Craters & Freighters has helped TREES plant 750,000 trees since 2015.
“We are ecstatic to reach this milestone, it’s a memorable step in our mission to create a more sustainable food system while planting trees,” says Executive Director John Leary. “We could not have done this without the hard work and determination of the farmers we serve, the talent and dedication of our global staff, and the unending generosity of our partners and supporters, like Craters & Freighters.
“Planting trees creates hope for future generations. Our goal is to give back to communities and to do our part to help replenish national forestry, driving sustainability,” said Craters & Freighters CEO Diane Gibson. “Planting trees helps to sustain our communities and the environment in countless ways.”
“For three decades, Craters & Freighters’ mission has been to provide innovative solutions for our customers while giving back to our communities,” said Craters & Freighters President Matthew Schmitz. “The core mission hasn’t changed, and our new initiatives demonstrate an eco-responsibility, that contributes to a better world.”
Craters & Freighters is committed to sustainability. One example of this commitment is our partnership with Trees for the Future. Since our partnership began, we’ve supported the planting of over 750,000 trees.
The 200 million trees are planted in more than 50 countries and they’re all part of thoughtful agroforestry systems. More than 76 million of the trees are part of what TREES calls Forest Gardens, strategically planted and diverse farms consisting of thousands of trees and dozens of plant and food species.
“The important and unique thing about these 200 million trees is that they’re here to stay because they were planted with the climate and landowner in mind,” Leary says. “These trees will continue providing food or resources to these farmers for years to come and, at the same time, they’re restoring our environment by bringing back biodiversity, channeling water into the ground, improving soil fertility, and continually storing carbon in the soil.”
“TREES, through its Forest Garden Approach has added new varieties of trees, vegetables, food and nutrition base to my family,” says Tanzanian farmer Salma Mussa. “This program is good and will keep sustaining my family forever.” (Read Salma’s story.)
TREES will celebrate its 32nd anniversary this year and is expanding into more countries in the coming months. Learn more about their work at trees.org. Trees for the Future is a registered 501 (c)(3) nonprofit that is ending poverty and improving the environment by teaching farmers how to grow food more sustainably.