ST. LOUIS, Dec. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 11th straight year, the Enterprise 50 Million Tree Pledge has logged another million tree plantings, a result of the Arbor Day Foundation's unique public-private partnership with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, one of the world's largest car rental brands.
"We are thrilled to be collaborating with the Arbor Day Foundation on such a long-term initiative, which has already reached 11 million plantings," said Jo Ann Taylor Kindle, President of the Enterprise Holdings Foundation. "The Arbor Day Foundation's professional management helps ensure that our investment in global reforestation has the best success rate possible and leaves a lasting legacy for generations to come."
Established in 2006 in honor of Enterprise's 50th anniversary and to thank Enterprise customers for their support, the 50 Million Tree Pledge is planting one million trees per year through 2056. Today, millions of young trees are growing in diverse U.S. forests throughout 16 states – Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming -- plus in Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the U.K.
In total, there have been more than 90 planting projects since 2006, with each one individually selected to prioritize immediate reforestation needs and to help restore ecosystems after wildfires or other natural disasters strike. "Millions of acres of the world's forests are impacted by wildfires and natural disasters every year," said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. "Enterprise Holdings Foundation financial support plays a crucial role in protecting vital water resources, restoring habitats for endangered wildlife and improving air quality in communities around the world."
In addition to the Arbor Day Foundation, the Enterprise 50 Million Tree Pledge involves a variety of partners, from the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. National Park Service, and the National Association of State Foresters, to Tree Canada, Trees Ontario, the U.K.'s Woodland Trust, France's Reforest'Action, Spain's Sustainable Forests (Bosques Sostenibles) and the German Forest Protection Association (Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald).
2016 Highlights
In 2016, the pledge accounted for approximately 20 percent of the Arbor Day Foundation's annual reforestation plantings. This year, the Enterprise Holdings Foundation supported its first reforestation project in the state of New Mexico, planting 20,000 ponderosa pine seedlings on 100 acres of Santa Fe National Forest -- a crucial water source for the city of Santa Fe that was devastated by the Las Conchas Fire of 2011.
The program also included plantings in France and Spain for the first time. In France, Enterprise helped plant 50,000 trees in Landes Forest as part of a new partnership with Reforest'Action. In Spain, Enterprise partnered with Bosques Sostenibles to plant 10,000 trees in the Sierra de Gredos mountain range.
Other 50 Million Tree Pledge planting projects for 2016 also included:
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About Enterprise Holdings Foundation
The Enterprise Holdings Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Enterprise Holdings, the world's largest car rental company. The Foundation was established in 1982 by Enterprise's founder, Jack Taylor, to strengthen and give back to the thousands of communities where customers and employees live and work. In total, the Foundation has contributed more than $266 million to nonprofits focused on community improvement, education and environmental stewardship. Almost 90 percent of the grants made by the Foundation fulfill requests by employees to help local causes they personally champion and actively support. In addition, the Foundation provides sizable grants to nonprofits that have strategic or social importance, as well as to relief projects as they arise, including natural disasters that affect customers and employees. The Foundation also provides a 50 percent match for each employee contribution to the United Way in the U.S. and Canada, as part of one of the largest United Way corporate campaigns in North America.
About Arbor Day Foundation
Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters, and valued partners. During the last 44 years, more than 250 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to help others understand and use trees as a solution to many of the global issues we face today, including air quality, water quality, climate change, deforestation, poverty and hunger.
As one of the world's largest operating conservation foundations, the Arbor Day Foundation, through its members, partners and programs, educates and engages stakeholders and communities across the globe to involve themselves in its mission of planting, nurturing and celebrating trees. More information is available at arborday.org.
