Friends of Trees

Name

Friends of Trees

Legal name

Friends of Trees

Website

https://friendsoftrees.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Forestry Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Site Preparation (Clearing, Scarification, Mounding, Ripping) (AFAMACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tree Planting & Establishment Services (Manual/Mechanized) (AFAMACAE), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD), Tree Health Care (Diagnosis, Treatment, Fertilization) (HSAIADAD)

Keywords

• Urban forestry services
• Community tree planting
• Native habitat restoration
• Volunteer planting programs
• Environmental nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to support tree planting operations. Donations fund tree costs, volunteer coordination, and the tree scholarship fund that provides free trees to homeowners who cannot afford the $35 tree fee.
2. Business and Corporate Partnerships: Corporate groups pay $50 per volunteer for dedicated corporate volunteer events. Business partnerships include sponsorships of planting events and general support through the business partnership program.
3. Municipal and Foundation Grants: Funding from local municipalities (Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, City of Vancouver, etc.), foundation grants (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, USDA Urban and Community Forestry Grant), and organizational memberships (Alliance for Community Trees, Oregon Community Trees, The Intertwine Alliance, 1% for the Planet). Since 2010, over $1 million has been invested in community partnerships through contracts and shared funding arrangements.
4. Tree Sales: Street and yard trees sold to homeowners for $35 each. Revenue offsets costs of tree sourcing, delivery, hole digging, planting assistance, mulch, stakes, and follow-up maintenance checks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Friends of Trees is a nonprofit urban forestry organization that plants trees and native shrubs in residential neighborhoods, urban areas, and natural landscapes across western Oregon and southwest Washington. The organization engages community volunteers to plant and steward trees, restores native ecosystems in green spaces, and provides adult workforce training and youth education programs. Trees are provided to homeowners at $35 each, with corporate volunteer partnerships priced at $50 per volunteer.

Product overview

Friends of Trees operates as a single unified nonprofit service organization offering community-based tree planting and urban forestry programs, not a commercial product platform. The core offerings include the Neighborhood Trees Program (providing affordable trees to homeowners), the Green Space Program (natural area restoration), Tree Care & Maintenance services, Youth Educational Programming, and the Adult Urban Forestry Workforce Training Program. Additional services include an online tree ordering system, monthly Treemail newsletter, and volunteer coordination. All programs are delivered through community partnerships and volunteer engagement rather than a software product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Neighborhood Trees Program
• Green Space Program
• Tree Care & Maintenance
• Youth Educational Programming
• Adult Urban Forestry & Restoration Workforce Training Program
• Corporate Volunteer Partnership Events

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million trees and native shrubs planted since 1989
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• APANO (Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram partner in the Adult Urban Forestry Workforce Training Program, helping recruit participants from Asian Pacific American communities. APANO staff assist with participant recruitment, communication, and program support.
• Black Parent InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram partner in the Adult Urban Forestry Workforce Training Program, recruiting participants from the Black community. Youth interns from this organization receive stipends for job training with Friends of Trees.
• POIC (Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partner providing youth interns and workforce training participants. POIC staff assist with recruiting participants from communities they serve and communicating program expectations.
• VerdecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity benefit organization partner in the Adult Urban Forestry Workforce Training Program, helping engage underrepresented communities in urban forestry careers.
• Wisdom of the ElderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram partner in the Adult Urban Forestry Workforce Training Program, focused on engaging Indigenous communities in workforce development.
• Connecting Canopies ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Adult Urban Forestry Workforce Training Program. The Connecting Canopies Program connects underrepresented communities with urban forestry training and job opportunities.
• The Blueprint FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough their Grounding Waters Program, youth interns receive stipends for job training including leadership opportunities with Friends of Trees.
• City of GreshamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the 11-member coalition awarded $12 million Urban and Community Forestry Grant from USDA. Coalition focuses on engagement and resources for low-canopy communities most impacted by climate change, pollution, and environmental hazards.
• City of PortlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the 11-member coalition awarded $12 million Urban and Community Forestry Grant. City Bureau of Environmental Services has been a longstanding partner for tree planting and environmental programs.
• Columbia Slough Watershed CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the 11-member coalition awarded $12 million Urban and Community Forestry Grant. Longstanding Green Space Program partner.
• DepavecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the 11-member coalition awarded $12 million Urban and Community Forestry Grant. Coalition focuses on engaging low-canopy communities.
• Clean Water ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen Space Program partner hosting natural area restoration plantings. Partnership improves watershed health and plants native trees in large quantities.
• MetromajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen Space Program partner for natural area restoration. Metro's regional government role supports watershed health improvement across the Portland metropolitan area.
• East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen Space Program partner supporting natural area restoration and watershed health improvement.
• Sandy River Watershed CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen Space Program partner for natural area restoration in the Sandy River watershed area.
• City of SalemmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen Space Program partner and service area city. Salem volunteer programs operate in coordination with city environmental goals.
• Live Oak ConsultingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides decolonization training to support Friends of Trees' equity and inclusion initiatives.
• Alliance for Community TreesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational membership organization for community forestry. Friends of Trees is a member of this alliance.
• Oregon Community TreesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState membership organization supporting urban forestry in Oregon. Friends of Trees is a member.
• The Intertwine AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional alliance of organizations working on urban forestry and green space issues in the Portland-Vancouver area. Friends of Trees is a member.
• 1% for the PlanetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental giving network. Friends of Trees is a member, receiving support from businesses that donate 1% of sales to approved environmental nonprofits.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Casey Trees: Washington DC metro-area urban forestry nonprofit that plants trees, advocates for canopy expansion, and delivers education programs. Closely mirrors FOT's volunteer-driven neighborhood planting model with comparable scale and a similar municipal-partnership revenue mix.
• Friends of the Urban Forest: San Francisco-based nonprofit running a volunteer-led, neighborhood-based street tree planting program — essentially the same operating model as Friends of Trees, including homeowner sign-up, neighborhood events, and community-driven canopy expansion.
• Tree Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh urban forestry nonprofit that organizes community tree plantings, tree care, and education programs. Directly comparable in mission, volunteer-led execution, and regional scale.
• Sacramento Tree Foundation: Sacramento-based urban forestry nonprofit running community-led tree planting across neighborhoods with a comparable volunteer-based delivery model and municipal partnerships.
• Openlands: Chicago-area conservation nonprofit combining tree planting, land preservation, and a workforce training program — directly analogous to FOT's combination of canopy programs and the Adult Urban Forestry Workforce Training Program.
• The Greening of Detroit: Detroit-based nonprofit operating community tree plantings, workforce training, and large-scale canopy restoration campaigns. Comparable scale and operating model, with similar focus on underserved neighborhoods.
• Trees New York: New York City nonprofit that plants and stewards street trees while training volunteers in tree care. Direct match on urban street tree planting, volunteer stewardship, and education.

Broad incumbents

• Arbor Day Foundation: National nonprofit with much broader tree-planting, education, and corporate-reforestation programs. Far larger scale and brand, but the urban-tree component overlaps directly with FOT's neighborhood planting mission.
• American Forests: National forest conservation nonprofit with a long-running urban canopy program (Tree Equity Score, city plantings). Operates at much larger scale and is advocacy/research-led rather than directly comparable as a service deliverer.

Others

• Alliance for Community Trees: National membership network of community-based urban forestry organizations of which Friends of Trees is already a member. Functions as an industry association/coalition rather than a direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FriendsofTrees
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FriendsofTrees
• Facebookfacebook.com/friendoftrees
• Instagraminstagram.com/friendsoftrees
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friends-of-trees

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Friends of Trees