The Tour des Trees, an annual week long, 500+ mile cycling adventure, is the primary public outreach and engagement event of Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund). Since 1992 Tour riders have cycled through communities in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., planting trees, educating children and shining a light on the work done by arboriculture professionals and the importance of science-based tree care. The Tour serves to advance TREE Fund’s mission to support scientific discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in arboriculture and urban forestry.
Full-Tour cyclists commit to raising at least $3,500 for TREE Fund; part-time riders have reduced commitments. Funds raised by riders support research grants, education grants and scholarships awarded and administered by TREE Fund. Thus, the Tour has been an important means by which TREE Fund has been able to disburse more than $4.4 million in funding since 2002.
TREE Fund research has produced better ways to plant and care for urban trees, making them more resilient, more resistant to pests, and less prone to failure. The Tour also supports education programs aimed at connecting young people with the environment and career opportunities in green industries.