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Annual Report 2018 ANNUAL REPORT We inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. TABLE OF CONTENTS Message from the Chief Executive, Matt Harris ................................................ 5 Board of Trustees ........................................... 6 Message from the Board Chair, Scott Josiah ................................................ 7 ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION PROGRAM UPDATES Trees for America .......................................8-9 Replanting Our Nation’s Forests ............10-11 Tree City USA .......................................12-13 Community Tree Recovery ....................14-15 Rain Forest Rescue .................................16-17 Energy-Saving Trees & Community Canopy .......................18-19 Alliance for Community Trees ...............20-21 Tree Campus USA .................................22-23 Celebrate Arbor Day ..............................24-25 Arbor Day Farm .....................................26-27 Financial Report and Audit ....................28-37 Dear Members and Friends, As I reflect upon this past year at the our reach. I’m proud to give a nod to our Arbor Day Foundation, one word talented team of committed professionals remains top of mind: impact. We set our here at the Foundation who work with sights on responding to global challenges our members, partners, and supporters by planting trees at an unprecedented to make all of this happen. Our growing scale. Those issues — air pollution, water network has uniquely positioned us as a quality, climate change, and deforestation, convener, getting the right people and the among others — heightened our resolve right organizations together to have the that if ever there was a time to plant trees, greatest positive impact. now is that time. Going forward, as much as we’ve done Over the past year, I’m pleased to to change our scale and reach, the global share with you that the Foundation’s issues continue to grow at an even faster commitment to forests, communities, and pace. Yet, I’m confident that we are up to people across the country and around the challenge. the globe has led to more environmental and societal impact than we’ve ever We are inspired by what we have accomplished before. accomplished together with our members and partners — restoring forests, building Our work includes restoring forests with communities, and inspiring people all millions of new trees spanning 25 states across the country and around the globe. and 14 countries. A record number of I personally look forward to seeing the cities and towns now embrace the Tree impact we can make together in the City USA framework to build vibrant new year. communities. Through the programs outlined in the following pages, you’ll With deepest gratitude, find other examples of more and more people being touched, inspired, and involved with our mission every day. We’ve learned to think differently and Matt Harris find new, innovative ways to broaden Chief Executive 2017-2018 Annual Report 5 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Preston Cole Pat Covey Danielle Crumrine Mary Desjardins Ray Empson Milwaukee, WI Kent, OH Pittsburgh, PA Toronto, ON Canada New Canaan, CT Susan Henricks Bill Kruidenier Leah MacSwords Ken Munson Crayton Webb Leslie Weldon Omaha, NE Champaign, IL Frankfort, KY Prosper, TX Dallas, TX Marlboro, MD 6 Arbor Day Foundation Dear Members and Friends, I feel very fortunate to have served on the actions of individuals, often through the Arbor Day Foundation’s board of trustees simple act of planting trees. The Arbor for nine years now. Stepping into my Day Foundation, loyal members, and new role as board chair has given me the dedicated supporters are poised to do just opportunity to reflect on the last decade that on a large scale. and the great change I have witnessed at the Foundation through the years. I am excited to see how the Foundation is positioned today to create great change It has been the kind of change that’s in the world that will benefit generations not always easy — because meaningful to come: planting more trees, building change rarely is — but it has been stronger communities, and improving incredibly profound. As an organization, more lives. we stretched ourselves, with every decision, every partnership, every planting The coming years are filled with project designed to grow our impact. opportunities for a better planet through And none of it would have been possible trees, and I am proud to be part of this without the support of our loyal members great undertaking together with all of you. and friends. Sincerely, Today, our world is at a crossroads. Humankind is facing serious issues such as climate change, lack of access to clean water, and air pollution. The great news is that many of these issues can be Scott Josiah, Chair addressed in a meaningful way by the Board of Trustees 2017-2018 Annual Report 7 Trees for America® Members plant millions of trees to provide the very necessities of life in their communities and across the country. 8 Arbor Day Foundation in 57 states, territories, Active and military bases as Trees are being planted in neighborhoods well as 5 additional across the country through the Trees for America program members countries. — providing critical benefits such as clean air and water, better stormwater management, natural beauty, and lower urban temperatures. Trees are also being planted on farms and ranches, protecting soil and water resources as well as creating new habitat for wildlife. Every year the Foundation’s members — and potential new members — are invited to receive 10 free trees through this program. Each of these trees is directly fulfilling our mission. And collectively, our members received nearly 4 million trees to plant in their yards and neighborhoods. This work is critical to building healthy communities and inspiring others to become tree planters. And member donations are helping to restore our forests across the country. 3,934,354 Our members also play an important role in The Hazelnut membership trees distributed this year. Project. This project is spearheaded by the Hybrid Hazelnut Consortium, a research group consisting of the Foundation, Rutgers University, Oregon State University, and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The consortium is dedicated to developing blight-resistant hybrid hazelnut plants that will survive in a variety of soils and climates, and the group has made great strides toward this goal. Our member participants across the country further these efforts by growing select hazelnut cultivars and reporting on their results. The Arbor Day Foundation is proud to be the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. And we are humbled that more than 1 million members, donors, and partners share in our commitment to Foundation members forests, communities, and people. 56,986 engaged in The Hazelnut Project. 2017-2018 Annual Report 9 Replanting Our Forests Thanks to generations past, our forests are our heritage. The conservation of these forests will be our legacy for the future. 10 Arbor Day Foundation Our forests are a treasured legacy providing the very necessities of life itself — clean air, healthy drinking water, a tolerable climate, and so much more. But these majestic lands are threatened by insects, disease, and devastating wildfires. We are thankful for our dedicated Foundation members, corporate sponsors, and partners who continue to respond to the need for replanting. This year, the Foundation planted more than 6.7 million trees in forests through partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters, and international partners. And the impact is far-reaching. Our reforestation work this year included extensive fire Nearly 70 million trees restoration in the western portion of the U.S. After a decade were planted to date in forests around the globe. of severe, often record-breaking fires, large swaths of forest in California, Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, Montana, Colorado, and Nebraska were left barren. Our members and partners answered our call, and together we were able to replant more than 1.6 million trees — an important sign of new life for these charred landscapes. Many of our replanting projects also focused on improving and maintaining water quality. Healthy watersheds are critical to healthy waterways, and a big contributing factor in all of this is trees. Our replanting efforts in the Catskill Mountains of New York, the Chesapeake Bay watershed area in Pennsylvania, and the Willamette Basin in Oregon are just a few of the projects that are improving the health of reforestation efforts our river systems. This year’s spanned 25 states and 14 countries. The generosity of supporters and on-the-ground-partners has made it possible for our replanting efforts to continue year after year, revitalizing important forestland for generations to come. 65 individual projects were supported by our members and partners. 2017-2018 Annual Report 11 ® Tree City USA Communities reap the benefits of strong and sustainable urban forestry programs. With the support of our members and partners, the Tree City USA program has strengthened and sustained urban forests across the country. From the Gulf of Alaska to the Gulf Coast, more than 153 million Americans are living in Tree City USA towns and cities that pay particular attention to tree planting, management, and care. As a result, these communities enjoy profound environmental and community benefits, including lower energy bills, cleaner air and 12 Arbor Day Foundation Tree Line USA® The Arbor Day Foundation recognizes nearly 150 utility companies through the Tree Line USA program in honor of their commitment to proper tree pruning, planting, and care in their respective service areas. Tree Line USA, Tree City USA launched through a partnership between the Foundation and the National 1976 a partnership with the U.S. Association of State Foresters, recognizes public and Forest Service and the National private utilities for pursuing practices that protect and Association of State Foresters. enhance America’s community and urban forests — and helping customers plant the right trees in the right places to save energy. water, increased property values, neighborhood beauty, and civic pride.
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