Native Forests are Vital
Intact native forests hold the potential to benefit biodiversity, enhance nature-based climate solutions and ecological remediation, and provide invaluable access to nature – allowing people to connect with and learn about their local environment.
The National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Trees for Wildlife program prioritizes this critical action for people and the planet.
Trees for Wildlife supports healthy, sustainable, and wildlife-friendly communities by providing free or subsidized native tree seedlings to our partners nationwide.
The trees are planted through local habitat restoration projects or distributed at community tree giveaway events.
The Impact of Trees for Wildlife
Over the last four years, NWF and its partners have brought communities together to plant and care for more than 233,000 native trees. We are proud to support community leaders, partnering organizations, schools, and members of NWF’s Community Habitat programs, as they work to make their communities more ecologically resilient and sustainable.
In 2024 alone, NWF’s Trees for Wildlife program sponsored the planting and community giveaway of over 59,000 native trees! Partner organizations and community leaders engaged thousands of residents, neighbors, and youth through stewardship and volunteer events.
Nearly 5,000 young people learned the value of native trees and healthy habitats, and in many cases, had the special opportunity to care for their local environment through habitat restoration and tree planting.
Across five states (FL, MT, NY, OH, and TN), thousands of community members received native trees to enhance wildlife habitat at their homes. Individuals engaged through the 2024 Trees for Wildlife partnerships were also imparted with the knowledge and skills needed to care for their trees as they grow.
Show your support for NWF’s Trees for Wildlife by purchasing a gift from NWF’s Tree Shop, symbolically adopting wildlife, or donating trees in honor of someone today!
2023-2024 Trees for Wildlife Program Successes
Youth Environmental Alliance! (YEA!) | 3,568 trees
Broward County, FL, (Year-round)
So far in 2024, YEA has held nearly 60 environmental education, stewardship, planting, and tree giveaway events. Over six thousand people have been engaged through these efforts, of which more than 4,600 were youth. During these programs, people learned about how trees provide habitat for wildlife, cool the planet, and remove pollutants from air and water.
Over 5,300 sq. feet of invasive plants were removed, and more than 17,200 sq. feet of habitat was restored. Over six hundred native trees were planted and 2,914 trees were given away to students and community members to plant habitat at home.
Events held by YEA take place year-round and many more are planned for 2024. Learn all about their work!
Florida Federation of Garden Clubs (FFGC) | 4,330 trees
Locations across Florida, Jan. 19, 2024
On January 19th, 2024, garden clubs across Florida held impressive Arbor Day ceremonies, tree plantings, and tree giveaways to celebrate Florida Arbor Day and the 100th anniversary of FFGC. More than 125 garden clubs simultaneously planted about 500 sizable trees.
At least 26 clubs gave away more than 8,000 native tree seedlings and 4,330 of those trees were supported by NWF.
Wakulla County Garden Club | 800 trees
Crawfordville, FL, Jan. 20, 2024
Wakulla County residents attended the 20th Crawfordville (FL) Arbor Day Tree Giveaway on January 20th at the County Extension Office. The 800 trees that NWF supported were red cedar, chinquapin, live oak, dahoon holly, pignut hickory, overcup oak, eastern may haw, parsley haw, possum haw, rusty blackhaw, and sweet shrub.
The Wakulla County Garden Club planted the seedlings in pots in February of 2023 and tended them every first Friday for a year to distribute at their event this year. Over 50 people volunteered this year (a record number!). Three hundred and fifty vehicles lined up and drove through the circular drive for trees.
Tennessee Environmental Council | 40,000 trees
Statewide: Tennessee, March 16th, 2024
Tennessee Tree Day 2024 engaged 19,741 volunteers statewide in planting approximately 120,000 native trees (40,000 supported by NWF) at more than 7,800 planting locations, which included all 95 Tennessee counties! The distribution of this number of trees relied upon a network of 162 local, volunteer-run community pick-up locations across Tennessee.
This year, Tennessee Environmental Council hit a huge milestone and planted its millionth tree through Tennessee Tree Day.
Visit the Tennessee Environmental Council website for more information about this incredible effort!
Green Columbus | 10,000 trees
Columbus, OH, April 2024 (Multiple dates)
Green Columbus hosts an annual, month-long Earth Day worksite campaign in Central Ohio to beautify and preserve the city. Plant materials are provided at no cost to partners, which include parks, churches, schools, civic associations, nonprofits, and more who host volunteer opportunities in April and come to pick up free seedlings at Keep Columbus Beautiful during the distribution date.
This year, over 170 events throughout April successfully picked up and planted a record number of 74,000 seedling trees at restoration sites (including 10,000 native trees supported by NWF).
Learn more here about Earth Day Columbus!
Northern Rockies, Prairie, and Pacific Region, NWF | 200 Trees
Missoula, MT, April 2024 (Multiple dates)
Two hundred native trees were given away at IWFF WildFest, the MUD Earth Day Celebration, Earth Day Pint Night at GILD Brewing, the UM Earth Week Sustainability Fair, a pop-up giveaway at the Missoula Public Library, the UM Living Lab’s Air, Smoke, and Fire event (also hosted at the library), and an Arbor Day ceremonial tree planting event on the UM campus.
Having trees was an amazing tool for engaging people about habitat creation. By tabling at so many different locations, a wide variety of community members were engaged!
Hamburg ReTree and Seeds of Living Education | 250 trees
Hamburg, NY, April 24th & 25th, 2024
This was a wonderful collaboration between ReTree Hamburg & Seeds of Living Education to educate all grade 4 students in the Hamburg Central School District on the importance of native trees. School groups walked to the Community Center and went through four stations: Education, Observation, Twig Craft, & Tree Planting demo. NWF’s Trees for Wildlife supported the giveaway of 250 native red maple trees to the students and their families. The tree-hugging may have been a favorite of many!
Utilize the map below to see where Trees for Wildlife partnerships have occurred between 2021 and today, or click here to navigate to the map on the Trees for Wildlife website.
The first site designated in 2023 was at New Life Cathedral in East Cleveland. Their flowering container garden lines the street, adding color and habitat for pollinators. New Life Cathedral also incorporated additional native plants into their pre-existing in-ground garden that lines the church building. Up next, Pastor Shawn Braxton is planning a learning garden to simultaneously teach young people to grow food while also providing fresh fruits and vegetables for neighbors.
This summer, Sacred Grounds is also celebrating the efforts of faith communities at The First Cleveland Mosque, Nueva Luz Community Church of the Nazarene, East View United Church of Christ, True Vine Missionary Baptist Church, and First Baptist Church of Greater Cleveland; all of whose gardens are also now designated as “Sacred Grounds
Sites.”
Planting with Patience – Investing for Long-Term Results
Native plant gardeners have a mantra for describing the growing process: “sleep, creep, leap!” Immediately after relocating to the new garden, perennial plants often need two years to “sleep” while their roots “creep”. Then, in year three, plants “leap” as they grow exponentially, benefiting from their two years of preparatory work. Gardens surrounding Masjid Bilal, a Sacred Grounds program alumnus in the Hough neighborhood, are absolutely leaping in year three since planting!
Sacred Grounds, created by The National Wildlife Federation, works alongside local organizations to leverage the grassroots capacity of faith communities to act as environmental and social agents. Projects include native plant gardens, wildlife habitats, and earth stewardship projects to engage congregations and the larger community. Participants join a growing network of over 100 places of worship engaged in conservation efforts throughout Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Northern Michigan.
In Cleveland, Sacred Grounds is strengthened by partnerships with The Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District, The Greater Cleveland Interfaith Alliance, and Journey On Yonder. Each partner enriches the program with technical, relational, or community engagement expertise. Together, we install native plant gardens and wildlife habitats that connect people to nature and contribute to healthier, more resilient communities.
Beyond the Garden – Community Engagement Spotlight
Just as Sacred Grounds program participants labored to create safe wildlife habitats, many sites took this opportunity to engage and educate their congregations and neighbors about earth stewardship and its benefits for both wildlife and people.
Warrensville Road Community Baptist Church, a Sacred Grounds participant, created their Genesis Garden as a beautiful, safe, and restorative space for community members to relax, reflect, and engage with nature. Through their additional Seedlings Project, Warrensville distributed over 150 young plants to congregation members and neighbors. This summer, Warrensville conducted an all-day “HOPE Session” where 58 children, teens, and adults learned about growing and caring for plants and connected those values to faith-based teachings on caring for the earth. Project leader, Deacon Ron Owens describes these ongoing efforts as “bridging a connection between community building and fostering hope.”
Growing the Program – 5 New Participants
As the Sacred Grounds Cleveland community celebrated the act of designating four native plant habitats, we also look forward to the five houses of worship who began the program this May: B’nai Jeshurun Congregation, Calvary Reformed Church of Cleveland, Lake Shore Christian Church, St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church, and Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cleveland.
Grounded in the understanding that places of worship are community anchors, the Sacred Grounds team views each project as an opportunity to support a network of healthy habitats while also intentionally developing new community partnerships and avenues for all people to connect with local green spaces and each other.
For Calvary Reformed Church, participating in Sacred Grounds is one of many ways they are engaging in environmental stewardship. “Churches are the sleeping giants of the environmental movement,” Pastor Dean Van Farowe observes. Each Wednesday in July, the “Creation Care” ministry team put on events for “Creation Care Kids” to learn about conservation and earth stewardship. Together, children and adults planted 250 native plants, crafted birdhouses out of recycled materials, and more.
Meanwhile, nestled in the Ohio City neighborhood, the St. Patrick Catholic Church planting team are crafting a haven for people to rest and butterflies to refuel. Multiple local residents already maintain butterfly habitats and St. Patrick’s team is working with them to encourage more neighbors to install their own monarch-friendly gardens. Planting at St. Patrick’s Parish is planned for September, rallying the community’s efforts to establish a flourishing “Monarch Highway” through Ohio City.
Get Involved: Grow Native Plants!
Interested in starting your own native plant garden? The National Wildlife Federation’s plant finder tool is a one-stop-shop for researching which plants are native to your area, helping you narrow down your planting goals, and purchasing plants. Similarly, Audubon’s native plant database provides listings of local native plant nurseries by zip code. It is always best to plant locally grown native plants, when possible.
Meanwhile, learn more about the Sacred Grounds program at nwf.org/sacredgrounds.