Success Stories

Correctly planting and protecting trees is a good thing to do. However, planting and protecting trees also requires coordinating time and resources. ACT minimizes such requirements by sharing the innovative ideas and organized approaches of successful projects and models for members to replicate.

We invite you to join the Alliance for Community Trees more ways to get involved. Together, we can create a strong voice on behalf of the urban forest. We can make a great difference in the health, beauty, and livability of our communities. We can strengthen communities by offering action-oriented approaches that bring people together around a common purpose.

(San Francisco, CA)- Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) works with more than 100 Bay Area artists to present a biennial exhibition and auction of original artwork of, or inspired by, trees. Proceeds from the event help fund tree planting and other FUF urban forestry programs.

(Lisle, IL)- The Morton Arboretum played a lead role in creating a network of public and private organizations to develop a readiness plan for addressing the invasion of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in the state of Illinois.

(Los Angeles, CA)- For the last 21 years, TreePeople has hosted a gala fundraiser and awards benefit dinner every autumn in recognition and celebration of partnerships and people that have supported the organization and its mission throughout the year.

Dealing with Drought and Water Restrictions: Trees Atlanta

(Atlanta, GA)- Trees Atlanta, in partnership with the city's Department of Watershed Management, recycles the water flushed daily from fire hydrants to soak 3,000 downtown trees and hundreds in surrounding neighborhoods.

Volunteer Mobilization: Casey Trees

(Washington, DC)- Casey Trees works with the District of Columbia's Urban Forestry Administration to water newly planted street trees with Ooze Tubes(r). Utilizing an extensive tree inventory and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping, Casey Trees has created an efficient method for mobilizing volunteers to install Ooze Tubes to water trees during the summer.

NeighborWoods Youth: Keep Indianapolis Beautiful

(Indianapolis, IN)- For the past three years, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB) has operated a Youth Tree Team which helps maintain the trees planted each year on public lands such as schools, parks, greenways and along highways. Using water donated by the local water company, the Youth Tree Team waters 500 trees each week during spring, summer and fall seasons.

(Philadelphia, PA)- The venerable Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) has become an influential force for urban forestry in Philadelphia. Founded in 1827, America's first horticultural society leveraged the power of its members and other environmental advocates to make greening issues a prominent item on the public agenda during the city's 2007 mayoral race.

(Albuquerque, NM)- Tree New Mexico (TNM), with the support of PNM, a local public utility, has designed and implemented a public education and tree planting program to mitigate carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted during a special Christmas celebration in 2005.

(St. Louis, MO)- Forest ReLeaf, through its Project ReLeaf tree sale program, offers large-caliper quality trees at a reduced cost to municipalities, schools, churches, parks, nonprofits and neighborhood groups. Since its inception in 1994, Project ReLeaf has provided more than 29,000 low-cost trees for planting on public or nonprofit land throughout Missouri and southern Illinois.

(Davis, California)- California ReLeaf monitors state and federal legislation in order to inform the urban forestry community of opportunities to influence public policy on behalf of urban trees.

(Nashville, TN)- The Tennessee Urban Forestry Council (TUFC) has created a traveling exhibit that features photographs of 36 notable Tennessee trees plus a narrative panel. The display showcases trees from the TUFC Landmark and Historic Tree Register and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry Champion Tree Program.

(Chicago, IL)- As part of its Community Greening effort, Openlands in Chicago operates a TreeKeepers program that has certified more than 800 volunteers to work on public property to plant and care for trees. TreeKeepers is the only non-governmental group authorized to mulch, prune or plant trees on public land in the city.

(St. Louis, MO)- Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, through Project CommuniTree, operates a community-assisted nursery which, at peak capacity, cares for approximately 14,000 seedlings. It also annually distributes between 4,000 and 5,000 free trees to individuals and groups for planting on public or nonprofit properties in the region.

When a Major Event Comes to Your Town- Part 3 of 3

(Jacksonville, FL)- Greenscape of Jacksonville, The Greening of Detroit, and TREEmendous Miami planted hundreds of tree seedlings to offset the greenhouse gas events produced by Super Bowl events in their cities as part of the National Football League's (NFL) "Carbon Neutral" initiative.

When a Major Event Comes to Your Town- Part 2 of 3

(Houston, TX)- Trees for Houston, with support from state sales tax revenue, helped to coordinate the planting of more than 4,000 trees in downtown Houston when the 2004 Major League Baseball All Star Game was held there.

When a Major Event Comes to Your Town- Part 1 of 3

(Atlanta, GA)- Goals, results, and funding differ depending on local and state priorities and the sports organizations involved. When Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympic Games, Trees Atlanta helped secure $4.5 million from public and private sources to plant approximately 2,000 trees in the areas surrounding the Olympic Games. If you visit downtown Atlanta today, you'll see the dramatic legacy of the Olympic tree planting campaign.

(Sacramento, CA)- The Sacramento Tree Foundation (STF), in partnership with Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the local utility company, operates a free Shade Tree Program which delivers education and quality trees to residents with the goal of shading buildings and reducing energy consumption. Since 1990 more than 400,000 free energy-saving shade trees have been planted through the program, which has become a model utility nonprofit partnership nationwide.

(Denver, CO)- The Park People, in partnership with the Denver Parks & Recreation Department, distributes more than 1,000 street trees annually to Denver residents. Nearly 30,000 public trees have been planted through this program, called Denver Digs Trees.

(Marion, IA)- Trees Forever partners with local utility companies to sponsor energy-efficient reforestation and beautification projects in towns and cities throughout Iowa. Through these collaborative efforts, the first of which began 17 years ago, 1.1 million landscape-size trees have been planted by more than 131,000 volunteers in over 450 communities. A total of 2,696 matching grants have been provided.