About TREE Fund

Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund) is shaping the future of trees, the arboriculture profession, and our world. Established in 2002 via a merger of the International Society of Arboriculture Research Trust and the National Arborist Foundation, TREE Fund has awarded more than $5.4 million in grants toward its mission of identifying and funding programs that support the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in arboriculture and urban forestry.

Science-based tree care enhances the beauty, safety, and livability of our communities, and helps to protect the people who care for our urban forest. TREE Fund awards research grants, education grants, and scholarships to advance the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry. With increased knowledge, arborists and citizens are better equipped to properly care for trees, ensuring that healthy, mature trees will remain an integral part of our communities of the future. TREE Fund’s current research priority areas are described in full here.

TREE Fund’s research and education programs shape industry best practices, improve workforce safety and contribute to the long-term sustainability of our communities in the following crucial ways:

  • Improving the quality of nursery grown trees and overall tree survival through the development of hardier, drought- and disease-resistant species.
  • Stopping diseases and pests while reducing pesticide use with the evolution of integrated pest management programs.
  • Enhancing public and workforce safety with advanced tree risk assessment techniques and greater knowledge about why and how trees fail.
  • Quantifying the benefits of trees which makes it easier for governments and businesses to project their return on tree care investment.
  • Revolutionizing global best practices for growing strong, healthy landscape trees.
  • Connecting youth with nature to promote environmental stewardship in the next generation and inspire them to consider careers in green industries.