Enterprise 50 Year Tree Pledge Surpasses 12 Million Plantings, 100 Reforestation Projects

ST. LOUIS, March 20, 2018 /CNW/ -- Since 2006, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation has funded a massive reforestation effort with more than 12 million tree plantings. Every year, 1 million trees are planted as part of the Enterprise 50 Million Tree Pledge – a unique public-private partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation that will continue through 2056.

In Oregon, more than 820,000 trees have been planted to date through the Enterprise 50 Million Tree Pledge along the Willamette River Basin.

The 12 million plantings represent more than 100 projects in Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the UK – as well as in diverse forests throughout 16 states in the U.S.: Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

2017 Plantings Address Critical Needs

"Environmental protection, reforestation and watershed conservation efforts are critical for many endangered species. Many of our 2017 planting projects were selected to restore habitats that threaten both wildlife and people that rely on forests for food, cover and water," said Carolyn Kindle Betz, senior vice president and executive director of Enterprise's Foundation.

Last year's plantings included 180,000 trees in Lake Superior State Forest in Michigan, a forested watershed that provides vital ecosystem services to the Upper Peninsula. The plantings support much-needed habitat for the endangered Kirtland's warbler, a songbird that requires dense young jack pine for its breeding habitat; provide clean water for high-quality trout streams; and re-establish a stable food source for native game species. Since 2006, Enterprise's Foundation has funded the planting of 380,000 trees in Lake Superior State Forest and more than 1.5 million trees in the state of Michigan.

Also in 2017, the Enterprise 50 Million Tree Pledge supported its first reforestation project at Davy Crockett National Forest in Houston County, Texas. Restoring the shortleaf pine in this area is critical, as this tree species has suffered a 50 percent decline in its range since 1980. Furthermore, the newly replanted 110 acres of trees are within the habitat-management area for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and will provide cavities for future nesting – helping to support the growth of this endangered bird.

"National forests provide habitat for one-third of all federally listed threatened or endangered species," said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. "With millions of acres of forest destroyed by wildfires and natural disasters each year, the financial support of Enterprise is vital to ensuring that replanting occurs before destruction takes a devastating toll on native wildlife."

2018 Plantings in Progress

• 250,000 trees in the Econfina Creek Water Management Area, Florida
• 140,000 trees in the Atlanta Forest Management Unit, Michigan
• 133,000 trees in Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota
• 100,000 trees in the Custer Gallatin National Forest, Montana
• 70,000 trees in Tahoe National Forest, California
• 50,000 trees in Ireland
• 50,000 trees in Scotland, Northwest England, Northern Ireland and Wales
• 40,000 trees in the Willamette River Basin, Oregon
• 35,000 trees in the Sandhills Game Lands, North Carolina
• 30,000 trees in Klamath National Forest, California
• 30,000 trees in Landes Forest, France
• 30,000 trees in the Spiritwood, Saskatchewan and the greater Toronto area, Canada
• 25,000 trees in Pike National Forest, Colorado
• 13,000 trees in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge Administrative District, Germany
• 4,000 trees in Ateca, Spain

Through the Arbor Day Foundation, the Enterprise 50 Million Tree Pledge works with a variety of partners in North America, including the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. National Park Service and the National Association of State Foresters, as well as Tree Canada and Forest Recovery Canada. In Europe, partners include the U.K.'s Woodland Trust, France's Reforest'Action, Spain's Sustainable Forests (Bosques Sostenibles), and the German Forest Protection Association (Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald).

The complete list of 50 Million Tree Pledge planting projects is available here.

The 50 Million Tree Pledge is one of several major ongoing philanthropic initiatives supported by the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation. Among these initiatives, totaling $180 million, is the Routes & Roots: Enterprise Health Rivers Project, a partnership with The Nature Conservancy to address watershed conservation challenges impacting more than 150 million people around the world.

This press release and car rental industry news are available in the Enterprise Holdings Press Room.

SOURCE Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation

For more information, contact: Chardais Bastien, Enterprise, [email protected]