TREE FOUNDATION INC
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Mission Statement
Tree Foundation is thrilled to pass our 20th anniversary with significant growth, innovative programs and expanded global reach in our mission for tree research, education, and exploration. We are increasingly viewed both locally and globally as a voice for big tree conservation, whole tree research (including the treetops), and as a leader in canopy walkway construction for ecotourism and conservation outcomes. Our three mission pillars are research, education, and exploration.
About This Cause
RESEARCH 1. Student intern TJ Watkins from Williams College worked diligently all summer on canopy videos and an interactive map of global canopy hotspots. 2. New research publications by our Executive Director, Meg Lowman, that directly link to our mission include: a. The Arbornaut - a life exploring the eighth continent in the trees above us (Farrar, Straus & Giroux 2O21 b. Herbivory in the Malaysia Rain Forest Canopy, Penang Hill - Margaret Lowman, Leon Kagonovskiy, and Caroline Haley ln: The Bioblitz Volume, 2021, The Habitat Penang. c. Life in the Treetops-An overview of forest canopy science and future directions. Plants, People, Planet. 3. A new partnership to conserve Baobab trees in Tanzania was initiated with Serengeti ECO Protection and Development Alliance (SEPDA TANZANIA). Seed funds were obtained from a local donor to provide 200 tee-shirts to regional farmers to save large baobab trees on their farms. Watch for photos of these magnificent big trees on our website, alongside the farmer who is stewarding his/her tree. EDUCATION 1. A postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Pamela Montero, is our first Education Director for the new project, Mission Green. Pamela is funded by a collaboration between TREE Foundation and University of Florida. She will spend extensive time in her home region of the upper Amazon, Peru, developing a canopy curriculum for our Amazon walkway and training indigenous people (especially women and families)to gain employment through the ecotourism provided by the canopy walkway. Dr. Montero's work will serve as a model and be adapted to other walkways around the world, allowing Mission Green to grow its programs of training local people who will then receive sustainable income from ecotourism, not from logging. 2. School talks via Zoom have ramped up throughout the COVID pandemic, with Meg Lowman featured as a meet-the-scientist lecturer to many middle school classes and co-featuring Victor von Klemperer who volunteers for TREE by speaking about financing conservation. The duo presented over 30 talks to schools around the country plus a few overseas venues during 2O21. 3. Lowman's book The Arbornaut, was published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in August 2O21. Reviews have been wonderfully enthusiastic, with highlights as follows: "Equal parts memoir, scientific reporting, love letter to the trees and a call to action in the face of the climate crisis . . . Most charming of all is Lowman's joy and wonder at the natural world . . . By the time you reach the last page of this book, you'll either want to climb a tree, hug a tree or both." -Rachel Zarrow, The San Francisco Chronicle 4. Lectures - Rotary Club, Arizona State University, Wilmington Library Elmira College, Sarasota Sustainability Conference, Mariner Museum and many other national venues; and the 10th lnternational Canopy Conference in Kunming, China. 5. Upcoming college course at Elmira College scheduled for spring 2022, called Nature's Clothing about sustainable natural resources, and held in conjunction with the new Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Design lnstitute. 6. Community tree outreach championed by Board members as follows: The TREE Foundation and the Environmental Management Council of Chemung County, New York, are engaged in a joint initiative studying Urban Green Equity. The goal of this project is to assess the environment and implications of insufficient green space and/or shade provided by trees. This pilot effort, in the city of Elmira NY, is an examination of fair, equitable access to and distribution of trees and a variety of green spaces. Many neighborhoods, in urban centers particularly, that are home to the disadvantaged and under-served, experience the deficits associated with inadequate availability of parks, trees, and gardens. Recently, researchers have documented the positive impacts that trees and green infrastructure provide, including environmental, social, and psychological benefits to residents by improving air quality, reducing urban heat stress, and improving public health outcomes. The TREE Foundation and the Council hope to survey local communities and impress upon local municipalities the many benefits of a planned program of surveillance of tree health and sponsored planting programs. Once complete, our goal is to replicate this survey process in other localities and states. EXPLORATION Our biggest achievement for 2021 is the launch of our newest program, Mission Green, which incorporates all aspects of our mission: exploration of global forests, research on treetop biodiversity, education of ecotourists, and an essential economic impetus for conservation of the world's most endangered forests. Based on the successful model of Mission Blue, founded by Sylvia Earle to conserve Hope Spots in global oceans, Mission Green aims to conserve hot spots of highest biodiversity in the world's most threatened forests. This new flagship program has an ambitious goal to raise $10 million in ten years to augment 10 canopy walkways. Already, three are funded but more urgent efforts are needed. Throughout this COVID year, Lowman worked tirelessly with an amazing team of volunteers and professionals to undertake a professional website, logo, graphics, and text to launch Mission Green. Based on the success of our local Myakka canopy walkway, Mission Green will ramp up this model to create global ecotourism opportunities in ten forests around the globe. Stay tuned, as TREE ramps up this important forest program that integrates conservation, environmental justice, and student research.