Tag: plant a tree

Parent FAQs

Click here for a downloadable version of the Parent FAQs

What kind of tree will we be getting?

      • Neighborhood Forest aims to provide native trees in all the regions we serve. Last year we gave away 11 different species. We tend to provide species on a state-by-state basis and like to provide different species each year to provide variety and diversity of trees.

When will my tree be arriving and will it be shipped directly to my address?

      • We aim to have the trees arrive to your school, library, or youth group leader in time for Earth Day. If you are ordering your free tree from your child’s school, your child should bring the tree home when it is distributed at their school around Earth Day (April 22).
      • If you are ordering your tree through your library, you will need to pick up your tree from your library when it arrives. You are responsible for contacting your library and arranging for the pick up of your tree around Earth Day.
      • While the library should be contacting you about pick up details, we encourage you to be proactive. If you are ordering your tree through a scout group, we encourage you to contact the scout leader about pick up details around Earth Day.

How do I care for my tree to ensure that it grows and thrives?

      • We encourage you to walk through this tree planting guide for best practices on caring for your tree.

What if I don’t have a yard or place to plant my tree? Can I plant my tree in a pot and leave it indoors?

    • Ideally, you want to plant your tree in the ground, outside, in a permanent location where you can watch and care for its growth. These trees are accustomed to being outside in the elements, so if you do keep it in a pot for a year or two, be sure to keep it outside.
    • We are in the process of developing an alternative indoor plant program for kids that do not have a yard or live in apartments. We hope to make this option available in the near future!
    • In the meantime, if you do not have a yard to plant your tree, we encourage you to plant your tree with a willing friend or family member who has a yard.

How does Neighborhood Forest fund all of these free trees?

How can I donate?

Neighborhood Forest

5244 Zenith Ave South

Minneapolis, MN 55410

    • All donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law and are not an exchange for any goods or services.

How can I offset my carbon footprint through Neighborhood Forest?

      • The average American consumes 7 trees per year in wood and paper products and emits 20 tons of CO2 annually. One tree will sequester 1 ton of CO2 in its lifetime (on average). So, to go carbon neutral via trees, a person has to plant 20 trees for every year they are on the planet. Factoring in estimated tree survival rates and annual wood and paper consumption, we recommend planting 50 trees per year per person to offset an individual’s tree and carbon footprint – thus the 50 trees x $5 = $250 / year or $25 / month membership cost calculation.

How can I get connected?

Updated 7/28/23

Celebrating 10 Years of Neighborhood Forest

March 24, 2019 by vnarula

We are celebrating 10 years of Neighborhood Forest this spring! What we are really celebrating is our Earth, the beautiful trees, our children, and the magic of planting and watching trees grow.

Now that we have been around a decade, we are starting to harvest and gather inspiring “then and now” photos of the kids with their trees (see below).

These photos and stories are bringing us joy and inspiration and giving us the much-needed soul fuel to keep going and growing.

If you have a “then and now” (or even now) photo, which you would like to share, please feel free to share directly on our Facebook page.

It would make our 10th anniversary that much more special.

Since 2010, Neighborhood Forest has reached over 100 schools, 60,000 families, and planted over 30,000 (mostly residential and urban) trees through the hands of children and parents across America and Canada.

When we see these photos of kids with their trees, we are inspired to reach even more schools and children. We would like to reach every child in North America and, eventually, the world.

We are looking for ideas, resources, sponsors, and partners to help us get there. We are looking to invest in our website, back-end technology, and logistics platform to help us scale our operation to reach as many children as possible.

We appreciate and welcome your support!

Investment to plant an urban tree through the hands of a child and their parents via Neighborhood Forest:
$2-$10

Health, environmental, and economic benefits from one urban tree over its lifetime:
$30,000-$70,000

Getting to plant and watch a tree grow from seedling to maturity:
Priceless

Thank you for working with us all these years to make this an incredibly rewarding and heart-warming experience that will continue to pay dividends for decades to come.