We Did It! We Planted over 50 Million Trees!

In 2018, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) set a highly ambitious goal to plant 50 million trees across National Forests by 2025. The 50 Million For Our Forests campaign launched in response to the immense reforestation need facing National Forests. A reforestation campaign of this magnitude, focused solely on public lands, had never been attempted before.

We’re proud to share that we not only reached but surpassed that goal.

Between 2018 and 2025, the NFF planted over 50.4 million trees across 177,300 acres of National Forest land. These trees were planted across nearly 300 projects, on 81 National Forests, across 31 states, spanning the entire country – from Alaska’s Tongass National Forest to Puerto Rico’s El Yunque National Forest. Since the NFF’s very first tree went in the ground in 2008, the NFF has planted over 64 million trees in total.

Visit our Reforestation Program Map to explore all projects.

Partnering with the U.S. Forest Service, our projects are the product of rigorous science and are followed by monitoring and maintenance that ensures high survival and ecological benefits. National Forests provide countless benefits to communities across the U.S. They create jobs, provide clean air and drinking water, and offer thousands of miles of trails to explore. The forests we plant today will serve future generations of both human and wildlife alike while helping mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon.

Today, our Reforestation Program extends far beyond planting. We are engaged in every stage of the reforestation pipeline:

• Conducting site assessments to identify and map reforestation needs
• Collecting thousands of cones per year to support the production of millions of native seeds annually
• Growing seedlings through partnerships with U.S. Forest Service nurseries and seed extractories
• Supporting site preparation to create optimal conditions for newly planted seedlings
• Hiring professional tree planting crews across regions including the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, Great Lakes, and the South
• Providing ongoing monitoring and post-planting care to support seedling growth and survival

The NFF is known for being nimble and efficient. We can help fill in the gaps and reduce capacity constraints to better meet reforestation demand on National Forests. Most recently, we launched a first-of-its-kind partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to establish a National Nurseries Program. Through this effort, the NFF is providing additional capacity and planning to enhance operations and grow priority native species across the federal nursery system.

Despite this progress, the need remains urgent. The Forest Service estimates there are approximately 3.5 million acres in need of reforestation on National Forest lands. That’s an area larger than the state of Connecticut! As of 2021, only about 6% of post-fire replanting needs are addressed annually.

That’s why our work isn’t over yet.

Together with our partners and supporters, we’re getting our hands dirty planting more trees. The National Forest Foundation is committed to scaling up reforestation efforts so resilient National Forests can recover, thrive, and endure.