Lake Fire Reforestation: New Life in the San Bernardino Mountains 🌲

In this edition of our reforestation spotlight series, we look back at the Lake Fire Reforestation Project on the San Bernardino National Forest — a multi-year effort that brought new growth to a landscape forever changed by wildfire.

A Forest Transformed

In the summer of 2015, a massive wildfire called the Lake Fire swept through the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear Lake, California. The blaze burned more than 31,000 acres of forest, including popular recreation spots around Barton Flats, Seven Oaks, and Onyx Summit.

The fire left behind steep, rocky slopes and wide open hillsides where almost every tree had been lost. In some of these areas, the forest couldn’t grow back naturally — so reforestation efforts began to bring new life to this beloved mountain region.

Replanting Hope 

Beginning in 2017, crews and volunteers returned to the burn area to plant thousands of young trees. These new seedlings — mostly native pines and firs — were carefully planted on the hillsides that needed the most help, especially where mature trees had been completely destroyed and no natural seed sources remained.

Over time, these small trees have taken root and begun to transform the once-blackened slopes back into living forest. What was once a stark, gray landscape is now dotted with green — a visible reminder that nature can heal with a little help.

A Gift That Grows: Plant a Tree Holiday Card 🌲✨

Rethinking Holiday Giving

Every holiday season, we send cards, wrap gifts, and exchange tokens of love and gratitude. But so often, those items end up forgotten in drawers, recycling bins, or landfills. In a world where sustainability matters more than ever, many of us are searching for ways to make our giving more meaningful.

Reforesting Colorado’s Grand Mesa: North Zone Tree Planting in 2024 🌲

High atop western Colorado lies the Grand Mesa, the largest flat-topped mountain in the world. Known for its lakes, forests, and sweeping views, it’s also a place where forests have faced challenges in recent years. Warmer temperatures, insect outbreaks, and wildfires have left behind open gaps where trees once thrived.

In 2024, new life returned to the North Zone of the Grand Mesa through tree planting and reforestation efforts. Thanks to caring supporters, thousands of young seedlings are taking root on this landscape, helping to heal the forest and ensure its beauty lasts for generations to come.

What Happened in 2024

• New seedlings were planted in priority areas where natural regrowth wasn’t enough on its own.

• High-elevation species like Engelmann spruce were chosen for their ability to thrive in the cool mountain climate.

• Careful attention was given to planting sites—such as shady spots and areas with natural moisture—so the young trees have the best chance to grow strong.

Every tree seedling planted brings this reforestation project closer to restoring healthy, diverse forests that can withstand future challenges.

Give a Tree: Why A Living Tribute’s Plant-a-Tree Cards Are a Lasting Alternative to Sympathy Cards and Flowers

When someone passes away, sending condolences is a timeless way to show you care. Traditionally, this has meant sending flowers or a sympathy card — heartfelt gestures, but ones that fade quickly and are eventually discarded.

With A Living Tribute, you can send something far more meaningful: a living memorial that grows stronger with time, helps restore forests across America, and leaves a positive environmental legacy in honor of a loved one.

A Gift That Lives On

• Flowers wilt within days, and sympathy cards are often tucked away or recycled.

• A card from A Living Tribute represents a living tree planted in someone’s honor. These trees grow for years to come, restoring forests and symbolizing hope and renewal.

• Instead of sending something fleeting, you’re giving a gift that endures, improves the environment, and stands as a living legacy.

Since 2014, more than 800,000 trees have been planted through our memorial tree programs—each one helping to heal our nation's forests and woodlands while honoring a life.

Healing the Land Through Reforestation

Every sympathy card from A Living Tribute directly contributes to reforestation in areas that need it most. Trees are planted in forests recovering from wildfires, insect infestations, and other natural challenges.

• Restoring wildfire scars: Seedlings are planted in places devastated by fire, where natural regeneration can’t keep up.

• Rebuilding wildlife habitat: New trees provide food and shelter for countless species, from birds and mammals to pollinators.

• Protecting clean air and water: Trees absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, and filter water as it flows through watersheds.

• Stabilizing soil: Roots help prevent erosion and protect delicate ecosystems.

Each 1,000 tree seedlings planted can restore 2–3 acres of forest. Even a single tree makes a difference—helping revive lands damaged by wildfire, pests, or disease, and transforming grief into growth, loss into renewal.

Tree Planting Impact 🌲

• 1 Tree – Provides clean air and wildlife habitat, playing a small but meaningful role in forest restoration.

• 5 Trees – Restores about 1/100 of an acre, multiplying habitat support and air purification.

• 10 Trees – Restores about 1/50 of an acre, helping stabilize soil and bring balance back to ecosystems.

• 25 Trees – Restores about 1/20 of an acre, significantly aiding recovery after wildfire, pests, or disease.

• 100 Trees – Restores about 1/5 of an acre, making a major contribution to reforesting damaged landscapes.

Premium, Sustainable Tribute Cards

Unlike standard sympathy cards, which are often mass-produced and quickly discarded, our plant-a-tree tribute cards are designed to be beautiful keepsakes:

• Printed on FSC-certified, sustainable cardstocks that are both elegant and eco-friendly. With A Living Tribute, families receive a beautiful printed or framed card, or a digital e-certificate, detailing where their trees are planted.

• Created with heartfelt imagery and space for a personalized message.

• Available to be mailed directly to the recipient or funeral home.

• Meant to be displayed and treasured, rather than set aside.

These cards are not just symbols of sympathy — they’re physical reminders of your tree's lasting impact.

Shipped Carbon-Free

Every order is delivered carbon-neutral thanks to our commitment to offset shipping emissions. Our participation in Planet funds the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through trusted, high-impact climate projects.

From design to delivery, each tribute card is part of a greener, more responsible way to express sympathy.

Verified Tree Plantings and Tracking

One of the unique advantages of sending a living tribute is the confidence that comes with it.

• Each order plants real trees in designated reforestation projects. A Living Tribute partners with a network of more than 20 trusted reforestation companies and nonprofit organizations to ensure every tree is planted where it’s needed.

• Many of our plantings now include post-planting survival tracking, offering peace of mind that the tribute is thriving long after it is planted.

This level of transparency ensures that your gesture isn’t symbolic—it’s real, measurable, and lasting.

Why Choose Trees Over Flowers or Cards?

When comparing traditional sympathy gifts to plant-a-tree cards, the difference is clear:

Traditional Cards & Flowers

• Last only days or weeks

• Often discarded after services

• No lasting environmental benefit

• Limited emotional impact beyond the moment

Our Cards

• Create a living tribute that lasts generations

• Help restore damaged forests and ecosystems

• Provide clean air, water, and wildlife habitat

• Shipped carbon-neutral on sustainable cardstocks

• Backed by verified planting reports and ongoing tracking

• A gift that recipients can treasure and display proudly

Sending flowers or a sympathy card shows you care today—sending a tree shows you care for a lifetime.

A Tribute for Every Occasion

Although many families choose A Living Tribute for sympathy, our gifts are also perfect for other meaningful moments:

• Celebrations of life and anniversaries

• Weddings and milestones

• Pet memorials

• Corporate gifts that reflect environmental responsibility

No matter the occasion, a tree planting is a universal symbol of life, hope, and renewal.

In Summary

A commemorative card from A Living Tribute is more than a gesture—they are a gift of life. Each tribute honors someone special while helping to rebuild forests and support wildlife.

Instead of sending flowers that fade or cards that get set aside, you can give a gift that grows stronger every year. With every tree planted, you’re creating a legacy of remembrance, healing, and hope for generations to come. 🌲

Choose the Tribute That’s Right for You

At A Living Tribute, we offer several meaningful ways to honor loved ones:

• Sympathy Cards – Beautiful, printed memorial cards mailed directly to the recipient or funeral home.

• E-Certificates – A quick and thoughtful digital option for same-day delivery, perfect when timing is important.

• Framed Cards – Elegant framed keepsakes designed to be displayed and treasured for years.

Whichever option you choose, each one plants a tree in someone’s honor and delivers a message of hope that lasts far beyond the moment.

Lake Tahoe Reforestation Sites

• West Shore - Lake Tahoe
  GPS: 39.1964388, -120.1224407
  Restoration work near Tahoe City with rust-resistant sugar pine seedlings.

• Truckee - Sagehen Summit
  GPS: 39.4481609, -120.2291165
  Tree planting projects along the mountain slopes of Truckee to restore native pine stands.

• North Shore - Galena Creek Park
  GPS: 39.349837, -119.853439
  Reforestation efforts on Tahoe’s North Shore, strengthening forest health and diversity.

• East Shore - Tunnel Creek
  GPS: 39.218907, -119.927754
  Plantings on the East Shore to restore critical habitats and protect the shoreline ecosystem.

• Carson City - Tamarack Fire Burn Scar
  GPS: 38.683460, -119.802380
  Healing landscapes impacted by wildfire through reforestation near Carson City.

• Caldor Fire - Sierra-at-Tahoe
  GPS: 38.802273, -120.080917
  Recovery plantings in the Caldor Fire burn scar, helping restore the Sierra-at-Tahoe area.

Forest Friends Memorial Tree Program: Celebrating 11 Years of Growth 🌲

Every year, our Forest Friends memorial trees are planted wherever the need is greatest across the U.S. National Forest system. Working in partnership with trusted reforestation partners such as the National Forest Foundation, A Living Tribute directs contributions to forests recovering from wildfires, insect infestations, disease, and other natural challenges.

This ensures that each tree planted not only honors a loved one but also helps restore landscapes in the most critical need of reforestation that calendar year.

For over a decade, A Living Tribute’s Forest Friends memorial tree program has helped families, friends, and communities honor loved ones by planting living trees across America’s National Forests. Now in its 11th year, Forest Friends continues to restore landscapes impacted by wildfires, insect outbreaks, and climate stress—while providing recipients with a beautiful, framed keepsake card.

Each tree planted is a legacy: a source of clean air, restored habitat, and a symbol of hope for generations to come.

Looking Back: Prior Years’ Planting Projects 🌎

The Forest Friends program has made a nationwide impact, from Minnesota’s Northwoods to the deserts of Arizona and the Pacific slopes of Oregon.

Here are highlights from prior years:

🌱 Forest Friends 2018

Our 2018 Forest Friends tributes helped to restore forests such as:

• Chattahoochee-Oconee NF (GA)

• Mississippi National Forests

• Hiawatha NF (MI)

• Chequamegon-Nicolet NF (WI)

• Chippewa NF (MN)

• GMUG & San Juan NFs (CO)

• Shoshone NF (WY)

• Deschutes, Ochoco, Malheur NFs (OR)

• Helena-Lewis & Clark, Lolo, Bitterroot NFs (MT)

• Boise, Idaho Panhandle NFs (ID)

• Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino NFs (AZ)

• Okanogan-Wenatchee, Umatilla, Gifford Pinchot NFs (WA)

• Sierra, Lassen, Shasta-Trinity, Lake Tahoe Basin NFs (CA)

🌱 Forest Friends 2019

Our 2019 Forest Friends tributes helped to restore forests such as:

• Florida, Mississippi, Alabama & North Carolina NFs

• Monongahela NF (WV)

• Ozark-St. Francis NF (AR)

• Hiawatha NF (MI)

• Chequamegon-Nicolet NF (WI)

• Superior, Chippewa NFs (MN)

• Cibola NF (NM)

• Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino NFs (AZ)

• GMUG NF (CO)

• Uinta-Wasatch-Cache NF (UT)

• Shoshone NF (WY)

• Boise NF (ID)

• Bitterroot, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Lolo, Flathead, Kootenai NFs (MT)

• Gifford Pinchot, Okanogan-Wenatchee NFs (WA)

• Malheur, Deschutes NFs (OR)

• Angeles, Lassen, Modoc, Klamath NFs (CA)

🌱 Forest Friends 2020

Our 2020 Forest Friends tributes helped to restore forests such as:

• Tongass NF (AK)

• North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida NFs

• Chattahoochee-Oconee NF (GA)

• Alabama & Mississippi NFs

• Kisatchie NF (LA)

• Texas National Forests

• Ouachita, Ozark-St. Francis NFs (AR)

• Mark Twain NF (MO)

• GMUG NF (CO)

• Fishlake & Dixie NFs (UT)

• Coconino, Coronado NFs (AZ)

• Shoshone NF (WY)

• Angeles, Lassen NFs (CA)

• Boise, Idaho Panhandle NFs (ID)

• Malheur, Deschutes, Ochoco, Willamette NFs (OR)

• Gifford Pinchot NF (WA)

• Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Lolo, Kootenai NFs (MT)

🌱 Forest Friends 2021

Our 2021 Forest Friends tributes helped to restore forests such as:

• Ocala NF (FL)

• Mississippi & Alabama NFs

• Chattahoochee-Oconee NF (GA)

• North Carolina NFs

• George Washington & Jefferson NF (VA)

• Huron-Manistee, Hiawatha, Ottawa NFs (MI)

• Chequamegon-Nicolet NF (WI)

• Chippewa NF (MN)

• Lincoln & Cibola NFs (NM)

• Apache-Sitgreaves NF (AZ)

• White River NF (CO)

• Shoshone NF (WY)

• Boise, Idaho Panhandle NFs (ID)

• Wallowa-Whitman NF (ID/OR)

• Colville, Okanogan-Wenatchee NFs (WA)

• Kootenai, Bitterroot, Lolo, Flathead, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Helena-Lewis & Clark NFs (MT)

• Columbia River Gorge NSA (OR)

• Willamette, Umpqua, Fremont-Winema NFs (OR)

• Sierra, Stanislaus, Lassen, Klamath NFs (CA)

🌱 Forest Friends 2022

Our 2022 Forest Friends tributes helped to restore forests such as:

• Chippewa NF (MN)

• Mississippi National Forests

• Ouachita NF (AR)

• Chattahoochee-Oconee NF (GA)

• South Carolina National Forests

• Santa Fe NF (NM)

• Coronado, Tonto, Coconino NFs (AZ)

• GMUG, White River, Arapaho-Roosevelt, Medicine Bow-Routt NFs (CO)

• Cleveland, Angeles, Sierra NFs (CA)

• Willamette, Mt. Hood, Malheur, Deschutes, Ochoco, Umpqua, Fremont-Winema NFs (OR)

• Boise, Sawtooth, Nez Perce-Clearwater, Idaho Panhandle NFs (ID)

• Okanogan-Wenatchee, Colville NFs (WA)

• Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Lolo, Kootenai, Flathead NFs (MT)

🌱 Forest Friends 2023

Our 2023 Forest Friends tributes helped to restore forests such as:

• Bienville NF (MS)

• Kisatchie NF (LA)

• Ozark-St. Francis & Ouachita NFs (AR)

• Ocala NF (FL)

• South Carolina National Forests

• Huron-Manistee & Hiawatha NFs (MI)

• Chequamegon-Nicolet NF (WI)

• Lincoln NF (NM)

• Tonto NF (AZ)

• Medicine Bow-Routt NF (CO)

• Angeles, Shasta-Trinity, Lassen, Klamath NFs (CA)

• Umpqua, Willamette, Deschutes, Ochoco, Malheur, Mt. Hood, Umatilla NFs (OR/WA)

• Gifford Pinchot & Okanogan-Wenatchee NFs (WA)

• Boise, Sawtooth, Nez Perce-Clearwater, Idaho Panhandle NFs (ID)

• Lolo, Kootenai, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Helena-Lewis and Clark, Custer Gallatin NFs (MT)

🌱 Forest Friends 2024

Our 2024 Forest Friends tributes helped to restore forests such as:

• Chippewa NF (MN)

• Kisatchie NF (LA)

• North Carolina National Forests

• Wayne NF (OH)

• Huron-Manistee & Hiawatha NFs (MI)

• Mississippi National Forests

• Ouachita NF (AR)

• Nebraska NF (NE)

• Lincoln & Santa Fe NFs (NM)

• GMUG, White River NFs (CO)

• Shoshone NF (WY)

• Custer Gallatin, Helena-Lewis and Clark, Kootenai, Lolo, Bitterroot NFs (MT)

• Idaho Panhandle, Nez Perce-Clearwater, Boise, Payette, Sawtooth NFs (ID)

• Angeles, Sierra, Mendocino, Lassen, Shasta-Trinity, Klamath NFs (CA)

• Fishlake NF (UT)

• Prescott, Coconino, Tonto, Apache-Sitgreaves NFs (AZ)

• Willamette & Umpqua NFs (OR)

This Year’s Planting Projects (2025) 🌱

In 2025, your Forest Friends contributions will support vital restoration efforts nationwide.

Some highlighted sites include:

• White River Reforestation – Mt. Hood NF, Oregon

• Green Ridge & Big Red Fire Plantings – Medicine Bow–Routt NFs, WY/CO

• Lava Mountain Fire Restoration – Shoshone NF, Wyoming

• Whitebark Pine Planting at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort – Bridger-Teton NF, Wyoming

• Shoshone North Zone Insect & Disease Response – Shoshone NF

• Longleaf Pine Restoration – Mississippi & Francis Marion & Sumter NFs (SC)

• Chequamegon-Nicolet NF Reforestation – Wisconsin

• Black Hills Collective Reforestation – Black Hills NF, SD/WY

• Superior & Chippewa NF Restoration – Minnesota

• Red Spruce Restoration – Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina

• Kirtland’s Warbler Planting – Hiawatha NF, Michigan

• South Fork Reforestation – Lincoln NF, New Mexico

• Ocala Longleaf Restoration – Ocala NF, Florida

• East Troublesome & Williams Fork Planting – Arapaho & Roosevelt NFs, Colorado

• Sylvan Fire Planting – White River NF, Colorado

• Hermit’s Peak & Calf Canyon Fire Restoration – Carson & Santa Fe NFs, New Mexico

• Mustang & Moose Fire Spring Planting – Salmon-Challis NF, Idaho

• Trinity Whitebark Pine Reforestation – Boise NF, Idaho

• Creek Fire Reforestation – Sierra NF, California

• Copper Fire & Bear Divide Restoration – Angeles NF, California

Why Forest Friends Memorial Trees? 🌍

• A Living Legacy – Each tribute tree grows in memory of someone special, enriching forests and communities.

• Nationwide Impact – From Florida’s longleaf pine ecosystems to California’s Sierra Nevada slopes, projects span coast to coast.

• Sustainable Keepsakes – Each gift includes a beautifully printed, eco-friendly commemorative card.

• Holistic Reforestation – Starting in 2024, A Living Tribute began sponsoring holistic reforestation initiatives that support our forests from “need to seed to tree.” This approach helps close the national backlog of reforestation needs by identifying priority areas, collecting cones and seeds, funding nursery operations, and supporting site preparation and planting.

Celebrate Life. Restore Forests. 🌳

Over the past 11 years, the Forest Friends memorial tree program has united families and communities in planting hope. Whether in memory, in honor, or in celebration, your contribution heals America’s forests and creates a legacy that will last for generations.