We love trees! We want to give every child the priceless joy of planting and watching trees grow.
By doing so, we will beautify our neighborhoods, put a significant dent in our carbon footprint, and help instill in the hearts of our little ones a sense of magic, wonder, and love for our planet.
Neighborhood Forest gave 67,000+ kids their very own tree this past Earth Day!
Since 2010, Neighborhood Forest has reached over 2,000 schools, libraries, and youth groups – engaged over 500,000 volunteers – and planted over 197,000 (mostly urban and residential) trees through the hands of children and parents across North America.
How does it work?
Schools, libraries, and youth groups enroll in our program. Parents sign-up to get a free tree for their child ahead of Earth Day. Trees for kids are distributed, via the school, library, or youth group to plant with their family during Earth Week (April 22-30).
This is Charlotte in kindergarten with her newly planted tree in 2014. This is Charlotte with her tree 10 years later.
“Every spring, we plant a garden around the tree and it’s been fun to watch the tree grow each year.”
~ Charlotte and Mom
Little Noah and his birch tree growing up together! Priceless.
“Nyla says she loves watching her tree grow. In 4 years it has grown as tall as her. She thinks that’s neat.” ~Nyla’s Mom
“We planted this flowering crab apple tree when it was just a stick and the neighbors said it was never going to make it. But we kept caring for it and it is beautiful and full now!!
Thank you for all that you are doing for our kids and planet!!”
Joyfully,
Sally (Mom) & Judah (Son) from Highlands Elementary School in Edina, MN
We pinned a tree on a Google map at each location a tree was planted through the hands of a child in our program since 2013.
The Forest is growing!
Sophia received this free tree from Neighborhood Forest back in 2014 when she was 13 years old. Both tree and child are growing and doing great!
“We are so grateful that you are doing the program and continuing to hand out trees to kids. When they can see them grow and know that they were the ones who planted the little seedling – it’s an empowering position for them to be in. They can see that they are making a difference for the environment and for the wildlife who uses the trees for shelter and/or a resting place.”
~ Sophia’s Mom
James, from Saint Anthony Park Elementary School in St. Paul, Minnesota, planted this little birch tree with his parents back in 2015.
Both James and his tree are doing great!
Kids at Marcy Open Elementary in Minneapolis, Minnesota are happy to have a new green friend to take home!
These are the kind of smiles we live for at Neighborhood Forest. We love giving free trees to kids and we love to see our little trees and kids grow up together.
Svetlana, from Clear Springs Elementary School in Minnetonka, Minnesota, received this little tamarack tree back in 2013 when she was in the 3rd grade.
Her little “twig” is now bigger than her!
We love seeing our babies grow up together!
Mollie received this little white pine back in 2010 (our inaugural year) when she was in kindergarten at Lake Harriet Lower Elementary in Minneapolis. She planted her little tree with her parents at Grandpa’s cabin.
Now a freshman in college, Mollie and her tree are doing great!
Progress.
Olivia planted this northern white cedar when she was 11 years old.
5 years later, both Olivia and her tree are thriving.
“We are so grateful that you are doing the program and continuing to hand out trees to kids. When they can see them grow and know that they were the ones who planted the little seedling – it’s an empowering position for them to be in. They can see that they are making a difference for the environment and for the wildlife who uses the trees for shelter and/or a resting place.”
~ Olivia’s Mom
Neighborhood Forest gives kids and families an easy and fun way to reduce your carbon footprint – by planting trees!
Urban and residential trees beautify our neighborhoods, increase property values, reduce our utility bills by providing shade or serving as a windbreak, and eliminate pollution all the while turning CO2 into precious oxygen.
We are so grateful to you and your efforts to plant trees.
Earth Day is coming.
Join the fun and celebration of planting and watching trees grow!
It’s a bit chilly out right now, but soon it is going to be spring!
A time to celebrate the Earth and plant trees!
INVOLVD created and shared this wonderful piece on Neighborhood Forest’s genesis story and vision for the future.
Enjoy!
Our dear friend, Katie Strand, created this epic video and GoFundMe campaign to help bridge the funding gap from the incredible surge in participation we unexpectedly received this year.
Check out her amazing video and song, “I Love Trees!”
Neighborhood Forest gets thousands of kids involved in the tree preparation, packing, distribution, and planting process every Earth Day.
Here is a sneak peek of what it might look like in your school come Earth Day.
Join us!
American Forests (americanforests.org) put out this wonderful video summarizing the benefits and importance of our urban forests.
Kids are cute and so are the little trees we give away for free, every Earth Day.
Be patient and take care of your little tree – in a few short years that little tree might be bigger than you!
Don’t worry, you and your tree will still be “cute” and you will both be doing more and more good in the world.
Thank you for being a part of our program!