When remembering a loved one who has passed, it is becoming increasingly popular to plant a tree in their memory. What demographic area of the country that you live in will likely determine what type of tree you will be planting if you will be doing it yourself in a place at home that was special to the deceased.
There are also many parks that participate in reforestation projects around the country that will plant a tree or several trees in your loved one’s honor and send a card to the recipient that is personalized for commemoration. Below are six such parks that are available for planting a memorial tree in honor of your special person.
1. Ocala National Forest – Florida
Located in Central Florida, Ocala National Forest operates a Forest Plan and determines the management practices and standards of the park. The Ocala National Forest has the distinction of being the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River in the United States. This land also contains the densest area of sand pines in the world.
2. San Bernardino National Forest – California
Activities in the San Bernardino National Forest include greenhouse work as well as planting native trees, and other beneficial work in maintaining and protecting our national lands. Volunteers maintain areas around the entirety of the forest for ecological restoration. pines and firs are common in this area, along with cedar and western juniper.
3. Rio Grande National Forest – Colorado
Opportunities in the Rio Grande National Forest are available long and short-term for volunteers for wilderness restoration programs, along with many other services that are vital to maintaining this park. Native trees in the area are an abundance of pines, spruce, and fir trees, along with aspen.
4. Green Mountain National Forest- Vermont
The Green Mountain National Forest covers 400,000 acres of land and is part of the Appalachian Mountain System. Known for its fall foliage with breathtaking scenery, trees in this area consist of birches, beeches, a variety of ash trees, maple and sugar maple, and some hemlock. Outside of fall, this park operates in every season with trees in various states of splendor year-round.
5. Hiawatha National Forest – Michigan
The trees in the Hiawatha National Forest, located in the upper peninsula of Michigan, were replanted with long-lived native conifer trees important to the fisheries in the area. These trees provide thermal protection in the cold winters and shade in the heat of the summer in the surrounding streams that support wildlife.
6. Hoosier National Forest – Indiana
Located in South Central Indiana, the Hoosier National Forest is currently working on the Buffalo Springs Restoration Project to protect the oak-hickory ecosystems in the area so important to the native wildlife.
Ecological Memorial Gifting
By picking one of the many National Forests in The United States to plant your memorial tree in honor of a loved one, you are helping to maintain and protect our nation’s forests. There are many more national reforestation projects going on around the country, and all are vitally important to the ecology. Consider planting a memorial tree today by searching for “memorial tree” planting online.
