Arbor Day Foundation's 'Canopy Report' Examines How America Sees Trees

LINCOLN, Nebraska (April 24, 2024) – ‘The Canopy Report,’ a new consumer report from the Arbor Day Foundation, takes a deep dive into how America sees trees.

The findings examine Americans’ interactions with green space, their perceptions of the health and environmental benefits of trees, and their feelings about climate change.

“In many ways, the Canopy Report is a resounding affirmation of the power of trees and their critical function in our everyday lives,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Americans understand the value trees planted in the right places for the right reasons can have on our own health, the health of our communities, and the role they play as a solution to some of the biggest issues facing the planet today, like climate change.”

The Arbor Day Foundation is the largest membership nonprofit in the world dedicated to planting trees. It helped to plant and distribute around 50 million trees last year alone in communities and forests around the world.

The Canopy Report was developed in collaboration with The Harris Poll, a nationally-recognized consumer research firm. The report’s release comes just days before the Arbor Day national holiday. The tree planter’s holiday is recognized annually on the last Friday in April.

The full report is available at arborday.org/CanopyReport, but some of the noteworthy findings include the following:

People are happier around trees, yet many crave more time and access nature. 

The report indicated Americans overwhelmingly understand trees make people healthier. Eighty-eight percent of people regularly engage in activities around trees and green spaces. Those who engage with trees and green spaces on a daily basis are happier and score higher in their mental and physical health scores than those spending time in nature less often, according to the report.    

And yet, Americans want more access. Seventy-seven percent of people said they wished their neighborhood had more trees and green spaces while more than half of Americans say they need to drive to their nearest green space.

Many Americans have been personally impacted by climate change and feelings of 'climate dread’ is prevalent.  

According to the results, almost two-thirds of people say they’ve personally felt the effects of climate change and more than half report experiencing feelings of ‘climate dread.’

Most Americans understand the positive impact trees have in addressing climate change.  

An overwhelming majority of Americans, according to the Canopy Report, acknowledge that trees can be a solution to some of these problems. The findings reveal that 90% of people understand trees are key to helping address climate change. Additionally, 9 in 10 people agree that “trees are not a nice-to-have, they’re a necessity” as a tool to address climate change. It’s no surprise, then, that Americans say addressing deforestation is one of the most called-upon climate-related challenges Americans can fix if people work together. 

For more information about the Arbor Day Foundation, visit arborday.org. The full Canopy Report can be viewed at arborday.org/CanopyReport.

Survey Method:

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Arbor Day Foundation from March 8 to March 14, 2024 among 2,006 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval.  For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 3.0 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact [email protected].

About the Arbor Day Foundation

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation is the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. Together with our partners, we have helped plant more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to lead toward a world where trees are used to solve issues critical to survival. Through our members, partners and programs, the Arbor Day Foundation inspires people across the globe to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.?

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