The Canopy Project

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the world’s forests have lost about 20% of their coverage. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, about 7.3 million hectares (18 million acres) of forest are lost every year, and roughly half of Earth’s tropical forests have already been cleared.

EARTHDAY.ORG recognizes that planting billions of trees across the world is one of the biggest and cheapest ways of taking CO2 out of the atmosphere to tackle the climate crisis. Not only do forests act as carbon sinks, but they also provide vital habitat for animals and ecological services for humans, such as purifying the air we breathe and regulating local temperatures.

Responsible reforestation programs can stabilize land from erosion or natural disasters, improve soil health and groundwater recharge, promote native and endemic fauna, and provide economic development for nearby communities.

EARTHDAY.ORG understands that reforestation is one of the most important and accessible ways that people can contribute to solving the challenges of climate change and is committed to continuing The Canopy Project and investing in responsible reforestation programs internationally.

Our planting locations are selected to have a direct and positive impact on areas affected by climate change. We work hard to ensure our programs also benefit the people and communities who live near the new trees, and often plant tree species that produce fruit, nuts, or other resources that help people.

Our projects typically include the growing of saplings in nurseries for 6-12 months before planting, as well as pruning and maintenance of trees for the first couple of years of their lives. This helps us maximize the number of trees that survive to maturity. In most cases, nursery and maintenance staff are local workers who gain valuable skills that help them serve as responsible stewards of the restored habitat.

EARTHDAY.ORG will also partner with technical organizations and government agencies near planting sites to provide forestry and maintenance training to local workers, allowing them to gain valuable skills to continue reforestation projects.

Casting seeds on the ground without a plan for growing and nurturing the trees over time is a practice that may be inexpensive but has been shown to yield low tree survival rates and is viewed as environmentally and socially less effective by EARTHDAY.ORG. Instead, we work closely with on-the-ground community groups that are trained and committed to nurturing these trees to maturation for life spans that often reach 100 years or more.

Like people, trees are subject to diseases and threatened by poor planting methods and changing climate conditions. These challenges must be anticipated in order to ensure maximum survival of healthy trees.

EARTHDAY.ORG has planted trees for nearly 20 years, with plantings located on every continent except Antarctica. Currently, our planting locations are focused in the Mt. Elgon region of Uganda, foothills of the Himalayas in India, forests near Sierra Gorda in Mexico, and a recent project now underway in Madagascar.

We are always on the lookout for planting locations and partners who are committed to responsible reforestation programs. If you would like to see more of our planting locations, check out our reforestation map!

With so many areas of the world in need of reforestation, EARTHDAY.ORG has to consider many factors when selecting a single location for plantings. After a thorough investigation to ensure that on-the-ground planters can report accurately on projects, we consider the following factors:

Urgency to protect biodiversity
Threats to the location from climate change or environmental disasters
Development of the local community
Cost-effectiveness and accessibility

On top of these factors, we must consider the long-term impacts of reforestation at our locations. We try our best to support and grow our planting projects over multiple years, and rely on trained staff to continue stewarding reforested land and to look for new projects in the area that would conserve biodiversity and uplift communities.

Tree planting costs vary by location with planting in developed countries such as the U.S. typically more expensive. For The Canopy Project, EARTHDAY.ORG can often plant one tree for as little as $1, while in some areas those costs can be significantly higher. Your donation directly covers the purchase of materials, time spent growing in nurseries, long-term maintenance, as well as the operating costs that allow us to carry out and expand our program.

No. Our projects are not certified for any current carbon market. While our primary reforestation focus is empowering local communities and restoring habitat, every tree planted becomes an important part of our greater quest to mitigate climate change. Once a tree reaches maturity, we use the universally accepted standard of 48 pounds of carbon dioxide sequestered per tree per year to estimate the amount of carbon The Canopy Project has removed from the atmosphere.

Of course! Tree planting is a critical activity that can help businesses achieve their SDGs and contributes to your corporate responsibility and sustainable leadership. And it’s a good thing to do!

If you are representing a company interested in planting trees with EARTHDAY.ORG, or wish to work on a special project with us, please email [email protected]

EARTHDAY.ORG is a 501c3 nonprofit organization under U.S. laws and regulations, your donation is tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Definitely. If you are hoping to send a gift of trees to a friend or loved one, or if you would like to dedicate plantings in honor of someone, please follow this link and fill out their information on the second page:

Give through the Canopy Project