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Why Should You Plant Trees for Giving Tuesday?

by Meaghan Weeden ● November 04, 2025 ● 3 min read

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What is Giving Tuesday?

Founded in 2012 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Giving Tuesday is a global movement that encourages people to support causes that matter to them. Dedicated to promoting generosity as a core value and every day practice, the holiday mobilizes collective giving and reinforces our shared humanity. For One Tree Planted, Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to extend the generosity we share with each other, to the planet. It’s generosity made regenerative.

Why is Reforestation Urgent?

Reforestation is needed now more than ever, with escalating forest loss and land degradation threatening ecological stability, biodiversity, and the livelihoods of billions worldwide. Nearly 30 million hectares of tree cover disappeared in 2024 alone—an all-time record—while primary rainforests, critical for global biodiversity, lost 6.7 million hectares, nearly double the previous year’s total.

On World Rainforest Day, the world confronts an unprecedented wave of tropical forest loss, Mongabay
Fires Drove Record-breaking Tropical Forest Loss in 2024, WRI Global Forest Review

Up to 40% of the planet’s land

Recent reporting shows that up to 40% of the planet’s land is degraded. That directly affects half of humanity and disproportionately harms those who are least equipped to cope: rural communities and the poor.

UN summit puts global spotlight on land degradation, UN Environment Programme

More than ½ of annual global GDP

More than ½ of annual global GDP, $44 trillion, is potentially threatened by nature loss. As trees disappear, many of the ecosystem services we all rely on are affected. This impacts everything from the productivity of our soils to the quality of our air and water, and our resilience to extreme weather events.

Investing in trees: global companies are protecting and restoring forests, WEF

Nearly half of the 6 trillion trees that existed

We have lost nearly half of the 6 trillion trees that existed on Earth before the onset of agriculture 12,000 years ago. Each year we lose around 15 billion more. This has profound implications for all of us, but every one of us can help reverse this trend.

Investing in trees: global companies are protecting and restoring forests, WEF

An average of 73% between 1970-2020

The average size of monitored wildlife populations declined by an average of 73% between 1970-2020. The top threats to biodiversity include natural habitat destruction, overexploitation, biological invasions, climate change, and pollution.

Living Planet Report, WWF

Over 3 billion people around the world

Over 3 billion people around the world grapple with the consequences of land degradation. When ecosystems are damaged, communities can face significant challenges, including less available water and food, declining rural incomes, and desertification.

Global Restoration Initiative, WRI

How does your Giving Tuesday Donation Help?

Every donation supports our mission of fostering a more sustainable and resilient future rooted in the science of trees. Reforestation helps the environment by ensuring or accelerating the re-establishment of healthy forest structure in areas that have been degraded or deforested. By re-establishing healthy, diverse forest composition, we can improve forest health and vitality, enhance adaptability to changing conditions, restore biodiversity, and facilitate the return of complex ecosystems that are more resilient against future threats. Your contribution, big or small, makes a real difference.

How Can You Make a Difference this Giving Tuesday?

Kindness is contagious and this Giving Tuesday, we want it to be regenerative too. When you send a message of love through our Tree-Card™, a tree will be planted in someone’s honor. Whether you’re thanking a teacher, connecting with a friend, or simply spreading joy, your words can leave a lasting legacy.

Every Giving Tuesday message you send — paired with a tree planted in your recipient's name — does more than convey care. It advances our vision of a future where the wellbeing of life on Earth is transformed through the power of trees. Your single act simultaneously:

Nurtures people: A personal note of kindness to lift someone’s spirit can inspire a wave of compassion.
Heals the planet: The tree you plant draws down carbon, provides habitat for wildlife, and supports local communities

— extending care to every living thing that depends on a healthy Earth. Send a Tree-Card™ today!

TL;DR: How Can I Get Involved?

Giving Tuesday is about generosity in all its forms — and what better way to give than through an action that nurtures both people and the planet? A kind message lifts someone’s spirit. A tree planted in their name helps forests thrive, supports communities, and fosters a healthier world.

This Giving Tuesday, let kindness grow — one message, one tree, one act of care at a time. Send a Tree-Card™