Our Climate Commitment

Every tribute tree planted through A Living Tribute goes into a U.S. National Forest, where it becomes part of reforestation that will stand for generations.

Real trees, planted where they are needed most

More than 1 million acres of U.S. National Forest land needs replanting today, much of it lost to wildfire and drought. We help close that gap.

Trees are planted by contracted professional tree planters, working under the supervision of the U.S. Forest Service. They go into federal land that belongs to everyone and stays protected for the long term. This is not symbolic planting on a private lot. It is credentialed, accountable restoration.

The partners behind every tribute

We do not plant the trees ourselves. We work with experienced national conservation organizations that have done this work for decades:

• The National Forest Foundation, our planting partner since 2014

• American Forests, the nation's oldest conservation organization

• Veritree, our verified tree planting partner

• One Tree Planted, supporting reforestation across the country

Other local partner organizations

• Friends of Florida State Forests

• Florida State Parks Foundation

• National Garden Club

• TreeFolks

• Blue Green Planet Project

• Ohio Valley Forestry Fund

• California's Sugar Pine Foundation

You can read more about our conservation partnerships and the forests where trees are planted.

How a memorial tree helps the climate

A single tree does quiet, patient work. As it grows, it pulls carbon from the air, holds soil in place, and gives wildlife a home. A cleared or burned hillside slowly becomes a forest again.

Across thousands of tributes, that patient work adds up. Each tree planted in someone's memory becomes a small, living contribution to a healthier planet. Our guide to how memorial trees fight climate change explains the impact in more depth.

Trees are planted at the right time for each forest, typically during spring and fall. Seedlings usually start at 6 to 14 inches tall and are cared for over the first 3 to 5 years, helping ensure they take root.

Carbon-neutral shipping on every order

Planting trees is only part of the story. Every package we ship has a carbon footprint, so we cover it.

A Living Tribute takes part in Shopify Planet, a program that funds carbon removal for online orders. For each order, an estimate of its shipping emissions is calculated, and a share of the sale goes to companies that pull that carbon back out of the air. Those companies are vetted by scientists at Carbon Direct, and any surplus helps fund newer carbon removal methods.

Two of the partners doing that work:

Grassroots Carbon works with ranchers to change how land is grazed and managed, so the soil stores more carbon.

Mast Reforestation pairs established forestry methods with new technology to bring back forests lost to wildfire, from seed collection through replanting.

Grassroots Carbon Video

So a tribute plants a tree in a National Forest, and the shipment that carries the certificate to your door is accounted for as well.

What to expect

We want to be honest about what a National Forest tribute is. Trees are planted across public forest land, so there are no signs, plaques, or markers, and trees are not tracked one by one.

What you receive is a personalized certificate and the knowledge that a tree is growing in a protected forest in your loved one's name.

If you would like a greener alternative to flowers, our eco-friendly memorial options show the other ways a tribute can honor a life and help the land.

Plant a tree that outlives the moment

Grief deserves more than a gesture that fades. A memorial tree grows stronger with every passing season, long after flowers would have wilted. It honors the life that mattered, and it helps heal a landscape that needs it.

Honor a loved one and support real reforestation. Plant a tree in their memory