Tour des Trees

The Tour des Trees is an annual long-distance cycling adventure which serves as the primary public outreach and community engagement event for Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund). Since 1992, Tour des Trees riders have cycled through communities in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., planting trees, educating children and shining a light on the work done by arboriculture professionals and the importance of science-based tree care.

Photo by Jason Miller

The Tour des Trees serves to advance TREE Fund’s mission of supporting scientific discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in arboriculture and urban forestry. TREE Fund research has produced better ways to plant and care for urban trees, making them more resilient, more resistant to pests and less prone to failure. The Tour des Trees also supports education programs aimed at connecting young people with the environment and career opportunities in green industries. TREE Fund has been able to disburse more than $4.4 million in grant and scholarship funding since 2002, and the Tour des Trees has been a key component in the organization’s ongoing success.

The 2020 Tour des Trees is taking a slightly different approach with a nod to social distancing. This year the tour is “rollin’ in place.”

The TREE Fund is asking everyone to help whether it’s walking, jogging, cycling, cardio, etc.

Instead of riders spending a week cycling through a state or a region, organizers are asking folks to “take on 321 your own way. Ride 321 km a month the entire duration of the campaign, run 3.21 miles a day, do 321 pushups a week, walk your dog 321 miles, pogo-stick jump to a new record of 321… you get the idea. 321 is the magic number.”

The campaign will run through Nov. 15, including livestream events and at-home challenges. This could be a fun and worthwhile team building event for your staff.

Join the Tour des Trees Rollin’ in Place here: tour-des-trees-2020.black baud-sites.com.

Visit our cover story on the Tour des Trees two years ago at: nurserymag.com/magazine/issue/september-2018.