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United States

Help restore forests in the U.S.

Seedlings growing in rows at a nursery in Arkansas.

Planting trees on private property is good for wildlife, nature, and landowners.

Baby Trees Reforestation starts with seedlings grown at nurseries around the country. In the U.S., we could plant 76 billion trees on frequently flooded lands, open urban spaces, degraded pastures and other formerly forested, under-utilized areas. © Rory Doyle

An Enormous Opportunity for People and Nature

In the U.S., there is an enormous opportunity to address climate change and generate revenue for landowners through reforestation.

  • trees behind a fence

    148M

    Acres in the U.S. that could be reforested.

  • trees icon

    76B

    Trees could be planted across the country.

  • people icon

    88%

    Of the opportunity is on privately owned land.

  • pollution icon

    492M

    Tonnes of CO2 could be removed.

Two people walking through a sunny forest.
© Mike Wilkinson

Private landowners have a critical role to play in restoring our forests.

In the U.S., 88% of the opportunity areas for reforestation are on privately owned land. Planting trees in these places isn't just good for nature—it's good for landowners.

two workers with shovels and gear in a field.

Feature

From Marginal to Thriving

How an Arkansas landowner revitalized his property by planting 36,000 strategically selected varieties of oak and other hardwood seedlings on his marginal farmland.

Meet Max Woodfin
Three deer in a snowy forest.
© Kent Mason

The benefits of reforestation projects on private land are huge.

Tree planting provides clean air and water, opportunities for outdoor recreation, improved habitat for wildlife, and in some cases, new revenue for landowners.

The U.S. needs large-scale reforestation to help landowners adapt to more extreme weather, diversify their revenue, and keep their land healthy and thriving for future generations. To get there, we’ll need innovative funding and partnerships to meet the demand from all types of land holders.

Jason Milks U.S. Reforestation Director
forested floodplain
Flooding A flooded farm in the Southern Delta region of the United States. © Rory Doyle
A person carrying a bag of seedlings.
Large-Scale Reforestation To fully embrace the opportunity before us, we need to plant billions of trees on millions of acres across the country. © Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal

Tool

See Where We Can Plant Trees

Explore county-by-county data to see where the opportunities are for reforestation in your area, using an open-source, online tool.

Visit Reforestation Hub
Into the bucket Natalie Kim throws black walnut seeds into a bucket. © Katelyn Campbell/TNC

Conservation Update

Supporting Seed Collection

The first step in restoring forests in the U.S. is collecting the seeds. Across the country, there is a need for increased investments in seed collection. Minnesotta is one place where TNC is working to overcome the challenges.

Read the article

Reforestation is an example of a natural climate solution.

Natural climate solutions, or efforts to protect, better manage and restore nature, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and store carbon. Combined with cutting fossil fuels and accelerating renewable energy, natural climate solutions offer immediate and cost-effective ways to tackle the climate crisis—while also addressing biodiversity loss and supporting human health and livelihoods.

Restoring Forests Around the World

TNC is working across the globe to restore forests to help people, nature and the planet.

Learn More

Research has shown that taking steps to protect, better manage and restore our forests represents the biggest opportunity for reducing pollution through natural climate solutions. It is critical that we plant trees now so that they can begin absorbing and reducing carbon. 

Natural climate solutions must be nature-based, sustainable, climate-additional, measurable and equitable. That means that in order to be effective, reforestation should benefit the climate, the environment and the community. 

More Stories About U.S. Reforestation

Boise City of Trees

The City of Trees Challenge aims to plant an urban tree for every household in Boise, ID and a forest seedling for every resident by 2030, while also ensuring that these trees survive and thrive well into the future.

Reforestation Supply Chain

A study led by American Forests and TNC found that to successfully reforest America, we need to more than double the production of tree seedlings. In Minnesota, that number may be more like six-to-seven times our current production level.

Mines to Forests

Mining and other resource extraction have significantly impacted the Central Appalachians. The Nature Conservancy and its partners are reforesting these lands for wildlife habitat, climate resiliency and connectivity in a changing world.

Reforestation in Idaho

Reforestation is part of the solution to climate change. Healthy forests store carbon, and provide clean air, water and a place for recreation to communities across Idaho.