Nurturing Global Growth Through International Urban Forestry

At the Arbor Day Foundation, we believe that true expertise is a journey, not a destination. With more than 50 years of experience, we continue to learn and grow, relying on our on-the-ground planting partners to educate us on the unique needs, norms, and customs of every community and ecosystem we work in. This collaborative approach is what makes our work so impactful and meaningful.

As a US-based nonprofit, we understand the importance of adaptability, especially when we take on work beyond our familiar terrain. In 2023, we reached 28 different countries through our international urban forestry work.

Our trees touched every continent save for Antarctica. That’s something we’re proud of and it wouldn’t be possible without our global network of tree planting partners who know their local ecosystem best.

Tree planting is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ endeavor, and what works in one area might not be suitable for another. Sometimes that means altering our methods and embracing new techniques. For example, we launched our first-ever project in Romania this spring in collaboration with our partner Padurea Copiilor. The project seeks to plant 5,000 trees using an innovative tree planting strategy known as the Miyawaki method. The technique includes preparing soil with critical nutrients and then densely layering a diverse mix of native tree species to bolster biodiversity. The method is often associated with exceedingly-high survival rates. Using the Miyawaki technique will help grow a green belt in one of the most industrialized cities in Romania, currently surrounded by three different oil refineries.

Of course, it’s not solely about how we plant trees, but why we plant them. More and more, our international partners are citing the effects of climate change as urgent reasons to strengthen their urban canopies. Global city dwellers feel climate change approaching their front doors, just as we do here in the States, with extreme heat, stormwater flooding, and air pollution taking a toll.

Trees can help and we need them now more than ever.

Thankfully, many people recognize the power of trees. If there is one small silver lining amid our climate crisis, it’s that its great effects have motivated a host of different constituencies to join the effort to plant trees. From schools to churches to healthcare campuses, all types of organizations are engaging in this unifying mission, many for the very first time. These new collaborations have enabled the Arbor Day Foundation to simultaneously enact short and long-term impact through trees.

In Tanzania, the focus is on the long-term. The land in the region has seen extensive land degradation and is now battling severe drought. The Inuka Youth Development Organization, a group largely focused on the personal and professional development of young people, came to the Arbor Day Foundation seeking support for a local nursery project. The multi-year project will help get hundreds of thousands of trees in the ground and provide job opportunities to local community members. It’s a nuanced project, specifically designed to serve the many needs of their community and highlights the varied ways we can use urban forestry to create change.

From Romania to Tanzania to the US, trees are essential in the mission to improve the health and wellness of our global community. We know we can’t reach the whole world overnight. It will take time. But we can’t let up. The work is too important, and the stakes are too high. It’s time to green the globe, leveraging nature-based solutions to address environmental challenges and create a healthier planet for future generations. I believe we can get there—together.