Skip to main content

Plant-A-Tree

Planting Trees and Saving Forests

For many years, National Garden Clubs, Inc. and the USDA Forest Service have maintained a partnership sustaining our national forests through the Plant-A-Tree program. Plant-A-Tree, formerly known as Penny Pines, is a reforestation and forest education program.

Your garden club can participate by contributing to this meaningful conservation project. All contributions help the Forest Service to plant trees across the national forest system where reforestation is needed most—the places most impacted by wildfires, flooding, drought, and other forest disturbances.


From Penny Pines to Plant-A-Tree

As some of you may already be familiar with this program when it was called Penny Pines, the new name "Plant-A-Tree" better reflects the program's mission and will help us reach a wider audience. Additionally, we are also making changes to the donation process to make it more accessible and user-friendly. Even if you are already familiar with the original Penny Pines program, please read through the changes below.

  1. DONATION AMOUNT Previously, we required donations in increments of $68.00. Donors can now contribute any amount, starting from as little as $50.00 to as large as $10,000.00. This change provides greater flexibility for donors and enables a wider range of people to participate in the program.
  2. CERTIFICATES IMPORTANT UPDATE: DIGITAL CERTIFICATES ONLY – As of May 31, 2025, NGC no longer mails certificates and has fully transitioned to a digital format.
    An email address is required with each donation to receive a tax receipt and a link to a customizable digital certificate. Donors can opt to make a certificate in honor or in memory of someone if desired, however we no longer need to collect this information. We assure you that your privacy and personal information will be handled with the utmost care and security.
  3. DONATING TO SPECIFIED FORESTS When donating, you may choose to have your donation go to where it's most needed or you may select a National Forest; however, the Forest Service reserves the right to utilize funds based on need. If you specify a National Forest where there is no tree planting need, then the donation may be used for planting trees on another forest. *Please note, individual plantings will not be identified per donor (ex: if you donate to a forest, you would be unable to locate a specific tree that you helped donate).

Once again, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for your support and dedication to our reforestation efforts. Your contributions make a real and lasting impact, and we are honored to have you as part of our garden club community and are grateful for your partnership in this important work.


States, regions, districts, clubs, and/or individuals may participate in this program. Please note, a $50.00 minimum is required with each donation.


How to Participate

DONATE ONLINE

Donating online is the preferred way of donating as it is a great way to reduce paper waste. For online donations, we accept Debit Card, Credit Card, PayPal, and Venmo.

DONATE BY MAIL

For for those who still wish to donate by check, use the link below to access the paper form. Mail in the completed form with a check made payable to "NGC Plant-A-Tree" to the address below:

National Garden Clubs, Inc.
National Headquarters
4401 Magnolia Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110-3492