Sources & credits

Good News for Trees (home page)

• Forest Trends and Arbor Day Foundation Complete One Million Trees Initiative in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest: Forest Trends https://www.forest-trends.org/pressroom/release-forest-trends-and-arbor-day-foundation-complete-one-million-trees-initiative-in-brazils-atlantic-forest/
• Federal government supports conservation of northern Ontario’s taiga forests and peatlands, conserving an area 1.3 times the size of Toronto: Environment and Climate Change Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2026/10/federal-government-supports-conservation-of-northern-ontarios-taiga-forests-and-peatlands-conserving-an-area-13-times-the-size-of-toronto.html
• AMC achieves five million tree plantation target: The Times of India https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/amc-achieves-five-million-tree-plantation-target/articleshow/134799320.cms
• One of Largest Tree Planting Project in Territorial History Complete: Government of Northwest Territories https://www.gov.nt.ca/en/newsroom/one-largest-tree-planting-project-territorial-history-complete
• Mayor Mamdani Announces Most Trees Planted in a Decade: NYC Mayor’s Office https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/09/mayor-mamdani-announces-most-trees-planted-in-a-decade
• Lincoln National Forest Completes 2026 Reforestation Projects: USDA Forest Service https://www.fs.usda.gov/r03/lincoln/newsroom/releases/lincoln-national-forest-completes-2026-reforestation-projects
• Government of Canada and FCM invest $67.8 million in urban forestry projects through Growing Canada’s Community Canopies initiative: Federation of Canadian Municipalities https://fcm.ca/en/news-media/news-release/government-canada-fcm-invest-67_8-million-urban-forestry-projects-through-growing-canada-community-canopies-initiative
• Natural restoration is key to reviving threatened tropical rainforests: University of Queensland https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-08-natural-restoration-key-reviving-threatened-tropical-rainforests
• Taking long-term action for a healthier, more resilient urban forest in Burnaby: City of Burnaby https://www.burnaby.ca/our-city/news/2026-08-13/taking-long-term-action-healthier-more-resilient-urban-forest-burnaby
• National-level Tijae–Río Nieva Protection Forest Established in Peruvian Amazon: Andes Amazon Fund https://www.andesamazonfund.org/news-blog/national-level-tijae-rio-nieva-protection-forest-established-in-peruvian-amazon/
• Cardiff’s urban forest grows again as ‘Coed Caerdydd’ project tops 150,000 new trees planted across the city: Cardiff Council https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/37161.html
• Celebrating 2 MILLION urban trees: Trees for Cities https://www.treesforcities.org/resources/celebrating-2-million-urban-trees
• Maryland’s 5 Million Trees Program Surpasses 1.5 Million Trees Planted: Maryland Department of Natural Resources https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2025/12/18/marylands-5-million-trees-program-surpasses-1-5-million-trees-planted/
• Record-breaking planting season helps Forests Canada reach 50 million tree milestone: Forests Canada https://forestscanada.ca/en/article/record-breaking-planting-season-helps-forests-canada-reach-50-million-tree
• The Nature Conservancy Plants 2.5 Million Trees in Minnesota in 2025: The Nature Conservancy https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/minnesota-tree-planting-2025/
• More than 10 million trees planted across Northern Forest: Woodland Trust https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/press-centre/2025/07/more-than-10-million-trees-planted-across-the-northern-forest/

Oldest Trees & Biggest Trees

• Guinness World Records: Oldest living individual tree (Methuselah). https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-living-individual-tree
• U.S. Forest Service, Inyo National Forest: Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/inyo/recreation/ancient-bristlecone-pine-forest
• National Park Service, Great Basin NP: The Prometheus Story. https://www.nps.gov/grba/learn/historyculture/the-prometheus-story.htm
• Umeå University: World’s oldest living tree discovered in Sweden (2008). https://www.umu.se/en/news/worlds-oldest-living-tree-discovered-in-sweden_5838747
• Pineau et al. (2024), mutation-based age estimate for the Pando aspen clone (PMC). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11526904/
• U.S. Forest Service, Fishlake National Forest: Pando. https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/fishlake/recreation/explore-forest/pando
• The Guardian (2022): Gran Abuelo: Chile’s alerce may be the world’s oldest tree. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/23/gran-abuelo-chile-world-oldest-living-tree-alerce
• Universidad Austral de Chile (2022): study estimates the Alerce Milenario at 5,484 years (Spanish). https://www.forestal.uach.cl/noticias/post.php?s=2022-05-24-estudio-permitio-estimar-en-5-484-anos-la-edad-del-alerce-milenario-de-la-union
• Guinness World Records: Oldest known human-planted tree (Sri Maha Bodhi). https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-known-human-planted-tree
• National Park Service, Sequoia & Kings Canyon: The General Sherman Tree. https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/nature/sherman.htm
• Guinness World Records: Tallest tree living (Hyperion). https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/tallest-tree-living
• National Park Service, Redwood National and State Parks: Hyperion (closure). https://www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/hyperion.htm
• NPR (2022): Visiting the world’s tallest tree could get you fined $5,000. https://www.npr.org/2022/08/01/1114846960/hyperion-tree-off-limits-fine
• Guinness World Records: Living tree with the greatest girth (El Árbol del Tule). https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/living-tree-with-greatest-girth
• Guinness World Records: Largest canopy on a living tree (Thimmamma Marrimanu). https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/66385-tree-greatest-spread
• Koch, Sillett, Jennings & Davis (2004), The limits to tree height, Nature 428. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature02417
• Statue of Liberty–Ellis Island Foundation: Overview & history. https://www.statueofliberty.org/statue-of-liberty/overview-history/

Forests Then & Now and What’s Being Done

• Our World in Data (Hannah Ritchie): The world has lost one-third of its forests, but an end of deforestation is possible. https://ourworldindata.org/world-lost-one-third-forests
• FAO: Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025. https://www.fao.org/forest-resources-assessment/past-assessments/fra-2025/en
• FAO newsroom (2025): Global deforestation slows, but forests remain under pressure. https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/global-deforestation-slows--but-forests-remain-under-pressure--fao-report-shows/en
• FAO newsroom (2021): Agricultural expansion drives almost 90 percent of global deforestation (FRA 2020 Remote Sensing Survey). https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/cop26-agricultural-expansion-drives-almost-90-percent-of-global-deforestation/en
• USDA Forest Service (2014): U.S. Forest Resource Facts and Historical Trends (FS-1035). https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/legacy%5Ffiles/media/types/publication/field%5Fpdf/forestfacts-2014aug-fs1035-508complete.pdf
• Oswalt et al. (2019): Forest Resources of the United States, 2017 (GTR WO-97). https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/57903
• USDA Forest Service: Historical Forestry Statistics of the United States, 1749–1956 (lumber production table: 40,256 million board feet in 1907; 44,510 million in 1909). https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/qb98mf45k/3r074z444/dr26z156v/forestprodstat_Historical_Forestry_Statistics_of_the_United_States__1749-1956.pdf
• USDA Forest Service: Our History. https://www.fs.usda.gov/learn/our-history
• National Park Service: FDR’s Conservation Legacy (Civilian Conservation Corps). https://www.nps.gov/articles/fdr-s-conservation-legacy.htm
• USDA: Celebrating the Civilian Conservation Corps. https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/celebrating-civilian-conservation-corps
• Crowther et al. (2015), Mapping tree density at a global scale, Nature 525. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature14967
• World Economic Forum (Aug 28, 2022): 2 years of growth in the trillion trees movement. 1t.org has since been renamed the Forest Future Alliance. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/08/two-years-of-trillion-trees/
• Trillion Trees: joint venture of BirdLife International, WCS and WWF. https://www.trilliontrees.org/
• The Bonn Challenge: About. https://www.bonnchallenge.org/about
• AFR100: About the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative. https://afr100.org/about
• UNCCD: The Great Green Wall Initiative. https://www.unccd.int/our-work/ggwi
• UNCCD (2020): The Great Green Wall: Implementation status and way ahead to 2030. https://www.unccd.int/publications/great-green-wall-implementation-status-and-way-ahead-2030
• Arbor Day Foundation: 500 million trees planted milestone. https://www.arborday.org/news/500-million-trees-planted-arbor-day-foundation-crosses-milestone-mark
• Arbor Day Foundation: commitment to plant 500 million more trees in five years. https://www.arborday.org/news/arbor-day-foundation-commits-plant-500-million-trees-5-years-focus-neighborhoods-forests
• FSC: Our history. https://fsc.org/en/our-history
• FSC: Reflections on 2025 and looking to the year ahead. https://fsc.org/en/newscentre/general-news/reflections-on-2025-and-looking-to-the-year-ahead
• American Forests: The REPLANT Act. https://www.americanforests.org/our-programs/policy/replant-act/
• USDA Forest Service: FY2025 REPLANT Act report. https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fy25-replant-report.pdf
• USDA Forest Service: Reforestation. https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/forest-management/vegetation-management/reforestation
• UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030. https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/
• Emerald Ash Borer Information Network. https://www.emeraldashborer.info/
• iNaturalist. https://www.inaturalist.org/

Leaf identification references

• Arbor Day Foundation: What Tree Is That? field guide. https://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/
• Virginia Tech Dendrology: tree fact sheets. https://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/factsheets.cfm