One Million Trees For Earth Day

American Forests
Friday, 28 February 2003

AMERICAN FORESTS Issues Challenge to Businesses

AMERICAN FORESTS, the country's oldest nonprofit conservation organization, is offering businesses the chance to help plant one million trees for Earth Day between now and April 22, the 33rd anniversary of Earth Day. To date, 422,056 trees have been sponsored by environmentally friendly companies such as IKEA, Hewlett Packard, Eddie Bauer and Anheuser Busch.

Companies can make a big difference in the health of our planet by planting trees through AMERICAN FORESTS' Global ReLeaf program, which partners with community organizations across the United States and around the world. Trees are a simple and effective, environmental action that resonate with communities across the United States. American Forests helps companies to raise awareness and increase consumer loyalty while helping to preserve and restore the environment by planting and protecting trees.

At www.americanforests.org companies will find information on the best way to meet business goals through environmental action. AMERICAN FORESTS' corporate sponsorships are unique, offering special opportunities in cause-related marketing, community impact efforts, and education and employee participation programs.

"Planting trees this Earth Day should be a part of our response to environmental challenges from urban sprawl and poor air quality to the loss of wildlife habitat and global climate change," said Deborah Gangloff, executive director of AMERICAN FORESTS. "We welcome the involvement of our corporate partners in sponsoring environmental projects in their hometowns, or where their employees and customers live."

From helping regenerate forests burned by wildfire in Arizona to planting trees, to restoring habitat for the Siberian tigers of the Russian Far East, AMERICAN FORESTS is mobilizing people and organizations to improve local and global conditions for generations to come. Trees planted in these projects clean the water we drink and remove pollutants from the air we breathe. In addition, they filter polluted runoff, cool streams for salmon, provide habitat for bald eagles and other wildlife, and remove climate-changing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Every dollar donated online, or through the Global ReLeaf hotline at 1-800-545-TREE, plants a native tree and counts toward the million-tree goal.

Since 1990, AMERICAN FORESTS has been planting trees for Global ReLeaf in areas damaged by human or natural causes. The Global ReLeaf network has planted 20 million trees in more than 500 projects and in every state in America, as well as 21 countries worldwide. This year's Million Trees for Earth Day campaign will contribute to AMERICAN FORESTs' goal of 40 million trees by 2007.

This year, there are 25 Global ReLeaf projects are underway, including the following four projects:

Alabama—67,500 native longleaf pine trees will be planted to help rebuild and improve the wildlife that inhabit the Conecuh National Forest. Species include the gopher tortoise, the Indiana gray bat and the Eastern indigo snake.

Texas—More than 730 acres of degraded wetlands and wildlife habitat will be restored in Red River County with the planting of 147,400 hardwood trees. Many animal species and numerous threatened and endangered migratory and wetland birds such as the bald eagle and the interior least tern will benefit from the planting.

New Jersey — 9,600 Atlantic white cedars will be planted along the Bass River State Forest, which is ravaged by wildfire, gypsy moths, and unusual frosts and drought. Atlantic white cedar, a declining resource, will help restore the area to a hardwood swamp. Species to benefit from this planting include eastern timber rattlesnake and the threatened small whorled pogonia.

Montana—AMERICAN FORESTS will work in the Bitterroot National Forest to prepare 120 acres for reforestation. American Forests will provide the Darby Schools Greenhouse/Bio-Technology lab with needed equipment and supplies to allow the greenhouse to be in full production for native cone collection and reforestation project.

The remaining descriptions of AMERICAN FORESTS' Global ReLeaf projects, can be found at their website.

For more information, or to contact American Forests, see their website at: www.americanforests.org

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