Arbor Day Foundation and The Home Depot Foundation Team Up to Plant 1,000 Trees Nationwide in Trees for Success Campaign

LINCOLN, NEB., March 31, 2009 – Thirteen cities will benefit from a national campaign launched today by the Arbor Day Foundation and The Home Depot® Foundation that will plant 1,000 trees in schools, public parks, and affordable housing developments, in communities throughout the United States this spring.

The Trees for Success Campaign engages students, volunteers from The Home Depot and local community partners to plant up to 100 trees at 13 different sites across the country. The plantings will take place mid-March through early May.

Trees add many benefits to a community, especially to students who spend time outdoors. They serve as nature's filter, removing harmful pollutants from air and water supplies. Planted in the right places, they can lower energy usage in schools and in homes. Studies have documented cases where trees can increase the attention span of children, reduce stress levels and help make important connections to nature.

"We are grateful that The Home Depot Foundation has made this vital commitment to planting trees where young students live, learn and play," said John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation. "It is important for students to learn how trees benefit their communities, and our Trees for Success campaign will help thousands of students and volunteers to make a positive impact that will be felt for years and years."

Elementary and middle school teachers and local environmental organizations submitted applications to hold a Trees for Success tree-planting event in their community. Thirteen cities were chosen out of more than 150 applications sent in to the Arbor Day Foundation. Selections were based on need, civic and local support, student involvement, plan for upkeep and location.

The following schools, parks and housing communities were selected to receive trees as part of the 2009 Trees for Success national campaign:

• Austin, Texas (Pleasant Hill Elementary)
• Detroit (Barsamian Preparatory Center)
• Fairbanks, Alaska (Arctic Light Elementary)
• Houston (Morris Middle School)
• Lincoln, Neb. (Adams and Kooser Elementary Schools)
• Miami (Comstock Elementary)
• Midwest City, Okla. (East Side Elementary)
• Minneapolis (Waite Park Community School)
• Nashville, Tenn. (Timberwood Community)
• Ogden, Utah (Mound Fort Jr. High/Gramercy Elementary)
• Phoenix (Sunridge Elementary)
• Portland, Ore. (Roseway Heights School)
• Reading, Pa. (Confluence Point Park)

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Schools, parks and neighborhoods will receive more than much-needed trees. Both the Arbor Day Foundation and The Home Depot Foundation will work with educators to raise awareness among students, parents and public officials about the many benefits trees provide to the environment, communities, schools and individuals. The foundations will provide an Activity Guide to help present nature education lessons to students prior to the tree-planting events, so they will learn first-hand about trees. Students will then apply what they have learned in the classroom by participating in the tree-planting event.

"The Home Depot Foundation believes that trees are essential building blocks for healthy, livable communities – that's why we planted or restored over 500,000 trees in the last two years alone," said Kelly Caffarelli, president of The Home Depot Foundation. "Our partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation is part of that same commitment for 2009. Trees for Success helps us demonstrate to students, educators, parents and public officials the positive impact trees have on our social, economic and overall well-being."

The Trees for Success national campaign is made possible by a $300,000 grant from The Home Depot Foundation. This is the fourth consecutive year The Home Depot Foundation and the Arbor Day Foundation have teamed up to organize volunteer tree-planting events across the United States.

About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation was created in 2002 to further the community building goals of The Home Depot. The Home Depot Foundation is dedicated to building affordable homes for working families that are healthy to live in and affordable to own. To make homes healthy and affordable, the Foundation encourages developers to incorporate responsible design and use durable and quality materials to ensure that homes are more energy and water efficient, have good indoor air quality, and provide a safe and healthy space to live. Since its formation, The Home Depot Foundation has granted $70 million to nonprofit organizations and supported the development of more than 50,000 affordable, healthy homes. For more information, visit www.homedepotfoundation.org.

About the Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation organization of nearly one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.

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