One Million Reasons To Celebrate

SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2025

One million trees—we did it! And you all sure showed up to celebrate with us. We were joined by so many friends. People who first planted with us decades ago. A couple who went on a tree walk last week. There were crew leaders who had been to dozens of events, or in one case, over 500. There were community partners and past interns and workforce training graduates—a true community came together to celebrate what we accomplished. Together. It was an honor to feel the love. People love Friends of Trees! And we love them back.

The millionth tree party felt very true to Friends of Trees! We were joined by 200 supporters, most of them devoted volunteers who helped us reach this awesome milestone. Lewi Longmire played music from the back of one of our pickup trucks while folks sipped Level Beer’s new One Million Trees Pilsner and hung out among the trees in our lot, laughing over memories of their time with Friends of Trees. It’s always been about trees, but it’s always been about friends, too.

It felt like a neighborhood planting event—and it was! Instead of a Saturday morning, it was a Sunday afternoon. Instead of 100 trees, we were planting just one: our monumental millionth tree, a silverleaf oak, a climate resilient tree picked to shade the community members when they use the bus stop by our office. There was an air of reverence around the tree even before we planted it, an eager anticipation, like we were sending an astronaut into space for the first time.

We used a pickup truck for a stage—how fitting is that! After an hour of food, fun, and moments of reconnection, we all gathered around to commemorate the moment. Everyone held a collective excitement, anticipating the moment when we’d reach 1 million trees and native plants. In some ways, it’s just a number. But it’s a gargantuan one, and it puts into perspective the magnitude of the accomplishment and impact we’ve made since 1989.

“How did we get here? Through the power of 75,000 community volunteers. It’s great to see so many familiar faces here today. I’m just elated that we’re at this milestone. Our mission is to build community through tree planting, and the community part is so important. This is what makes the magic happen, and I’m feeling it today.” – Yashar, Friends of Trees Executive Director.

When Richard Seidman founded Friends of Trees in 1989, he never could have imagined that we’d reach the milestone of one million trees and native plants. We were honored to have him join us at our millionth tree planting and celebration last month, and he added a true sense of history to the proceedings. “I gathered a number of people, some of whom had had trees cut down on their block, as a way to channel their grief into something positive,” Richard said of the very first trees we planted.

“I’m just so grateful for everybody who has participated from the beginning and over the years, so intrepidly,” Richard said in his remarks to the crowd. “It’s just a joy. Who knew something like this would happen?”

When it came time to celebrate and plant the millionth tree, there was a palpable feeling of accomplishment in the air. Cheers erupted as two of our staff, Christine and Kaitie, carried the tree through the crowd to the planting location.

Everyone gathered around while our Yashar, Maria, Toshio and his daughter Stella planted the tree. Toshio was the Chair of the Friends of Trees Board. His connection with the board began when he was an intern over a decade ago, a fitting reminder of how connections can last through the years.

Introducing one of our amazing crew leaders, Yashar spoke to the amazingness of volunteerism: “We could not get to a million without you showing up all those Saturday mornings. And your energy is infectious.”

“When I think about the phenomenal accomplishment of planting one million trees, my immediate next thought is the collaborative way that Friends of Trees plants means that there have been one million trees, and then millions of smiles. Millions of moments of people feeling empowered. Of dirty hands. Of connections that would not have been formed otherwise.”

-Shay Snyder, Crew Leader

Shay is such a star. At planting events, whenever Shay’s crew finishes planting a tree, they encourage the whole crew to do a tree dance in celebration. They took it to the next level and led the Tree Dance after we planted our Millionth Tree! After the tree was planted, so many people looked at it close up, took pictures with it, and celebrated the moment.

The magic of trees is that planting them is just the beginning. They’ll grow and provide their benefits for decades. We’ll get to know them and care for them, just like we get to know and care for our community. At Friends of Trees, we’re hopeful that one million trees and native plants is just the beginning. Like the trees—and you all—we’ll keep showing up.

NEWS COVERAGE

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

This is an amazing opportunity to consider a special gift to Friends of Trees. Given the increasing severity of the impacts of climate change, getting started on our next million trees is more important than ever—and we need your help more than ever. Your gift to Friends of Trees will play a key role in ensuring our long term ability to grow our community forest where and when we need it most, and to make sure the community is involved in the process.

Make a donation to our Millionth Tree Campaign