JoinTrees to Restore the Earth

JoinTrees is our campaign to plant one million trees by 2030. 

This campaign targets climate change—an existential threat to life on our planet. By increasing tree and forest cover, our goals are to help (1) mitigate global warming, (2) restore resilient ecosystems, (3) preserve threatened biodiversity, and (4) support vulnerable communities. 

Our vision is a healthy, thriving planet where God's abundant life of shalom flourishes in the community of creation from generation to generation. 




Get Involved

To participate with JoinTrees, you can. . .

 Leaf for bulletpoints.pngDevote land for planting trees

 Leaf for bulletpoints.pngHelp with planting and caring for trees

 Leaf for bulletpoints.pngProvide financial support:  Make a contribution

 Leaf for bulletpoints.pngReceive a grant for tree planting

For assisting with any of these, contact Steve Thomas.

Resource Links

Leaf for bulletpoints.pngJoinTrees brochure 

Leaf for bulletpoints.pngJoinTrees brochure for businesses

Leaf for bulletpoints.pngWorship Resources for Trees of Life: Hope for God's Earth

Leaf for bulletpoints.png10 Steps to Success When Planting Forest Trees

Leaf for bulletpoints.pngCaring for Trees

Leaf for bulletpoints.pngPruning Trees

Leaf for bulletpoints.pngTree Owners Manual (U.S. Forest Service)


Responding together

We are responding to the climate crisis with a large-scale tree-planting campaign. Mennonite Men is locating land, forming a network of partners, assisting with tree planting, and facilitating contributions to fund projects.

We invite men's groups, youth groups, congregations, universities, nonprofits, and other groups to participate in this campaign.

We invite all genders and ages to join the campaign.


A Critical Problem

Nothing threatens our global village more than climate change. Deforestation is a major cause of this crisis as tree and forest loss continue, dramatically reducing the earth's most important means to sequester carbon and cool the planet. Global tree cover loss continues at an alarming rate of nearly 12 million acres each year.

The impacts of global warming are severe: extinction of animal and plant species, soil erosion, desertification, food loss, forest fires, droughts, and floods.

While poor and vulnerable populations already suffer, problems will worsen as environmental degradation and desertification dramatically decrease food production, access to clean water, and sustainable environments. According to the United Nations, "the health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever, affecting the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide." These distressed living conditions will cause mass migrations and other acts of desperation.


Essential Solutions

Planting and protecting trees are critical climate actions. The United Nations lists these as top natural solutions as trees are among the best and most cost-efficient means for sequestering climate-warming carbon dioxide. Trees not only sequester carbon but are critical for ecological restoration, biodiversity, and sustaining human life. 


God's Call

The importance of trees in God's design for the earth is seen in the fact that they are featured in the very first and last chapters of the Bible.

The woodland garden of Eden represents what our Creator intended on Earth: beauty, biodiversity, and abundance where trees give life for all. And in the final vision of Revelation, we see trees of life for the healing of the nations. 

God's call for us to serve and protect the Earth (Genesis 2:15) includes tending trees so they may play their important role in the community of creation.

Projects:

2023

2,000 trees in La Casa Grande Benin
304 trees at Blooming Glen Mennonite Church
1,000 trees at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church 
10,000 trees at Kalonda Mission
10,000 trees in Kwilu Province
15,600 trees in Mpukinsele Village
16,700 trees in Muala Village
18,000 trees in Sambo Communie
15,600 trees in Tshilenge Territory
16,200 trees in Quipindi Village
15,600 trees in Mukedi Community
9,000 trees at Camp Friedenswald, MI
8,200 trees in various projects in Elkhart, IN

2024
550 trees at various projects of Mennonite Disaster Service