Photo: Arbor Day Foundation Facebook post

LINCOLN - The Arbor Day Foundation is working with NBCUniversal to help restore forestland impacted by natural disaster.

"Trees bring hope and healing in the wake of devastation," said Dan Lambe of the Arbor Day Foundation.

20,000 trees will be planted in the Apalachicola National Forest in Florida that was damaged by Hurricane Michael in 2019.

An Arbor Day Foundation press release says the organization has distributed trees to disaster affected areas since 2005 and pledged 10 million trees to six states following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The tree planting response will be announced at NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special.

Here is the foundation’s press release

 

Arbor Day Foundation, NBCUniversal Collaborate  

To Restore Hurricane-Affected Land 

The partnership will be highlighted tonight during

NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special  

 

LINCOLN, Nebraska (December 4, 2024) – NBCUniversal is partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation to help restore forestlands impacted by natural disaster.  

 

“Trees bring hope and healing in the wake of devastation,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive officer of the Arbor Day Foundation. “The hard work of recovery continues long after the storm has passed, and first responders have left. That’s why partners like NBCUniversal are such valuable collaborators as we seek to get trees where they’re needed most.” 

 

NBCUniversal and the Arbor Day Foundation have collaborated for the last 16 years. This new commitment will help plant nearly 20,000 trees in the Apalachicola National Forest, located southwest of Tallahassee, Florida. The land was devastated by Hurricane Michael in 2018 when the category 5 storm ripped through the region. Hurricane Michael caused an estimated $25 billion in total damages, affecting five states.  

 

The Arbor Day Foundation has helped plant and distribute trees in disaster-affected communities and forestlands since 2005 and recovery work still remains a priority for the nonprofit. Following the destruction of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the Foundation pledged 10 million trees to the six states affected by the back-to-back storms. The Foundation will collaborate with public and private partners as well as local tree planting partners to determine an appropriate timeline for replanting to begin.  

 

To learn more about the Arbor Day Foundation and donate to the effort to help replant and restore areas impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, visit arborday.org.  

 

About the Arbor Day Foundation  

The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community of more than 1 million leaders, innovators, planters, and supporters united by their bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. For more than 50 years, they’ve answered critical need with action, planting more than half a billion trees alongside their partners. And this is only the beginning.??