One Billion Trees Planted Across 74 Countries In Year-Long Global Effort

A coordinated planting campaign has hit its target 18 months early, with two-thirds of the trees planted by community volunteers rather than governments.

A global effort to plant one billion trees across 74 countries has met its target eighteen months ahead of schedule, coordinators announced this week.

The initiative, launched in 2024, coordinates planting projects run by national parks services, NGOs, community groups and school programs. Roughly two-thirds of the trees have been planted by community volunteers, not paid crews.

Ethiopia, India and Turkey account for a large share of the total, each committing to hundreds of millions of trees under national reforestation plans.

Ecologists caution that tree survival matters more than tree planting. Studies have shown that up to 40 percent of newly planted trees die within their first five years, particularly in industrial monoculture plantations.

The coordinators of the campaign say they have adjusted planting protocols to favor diverse native species and long-term community stewardship, learning from earlier failed reforestation efforts.

"Planting is easier than protecting," one Kenyan forester told the campaign. "But we now know that. The next billion has to be different."

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