What TREE Foundation does

TREE Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization (Federal ID#65-0904869) founded in 1999/2000 and headquartered in Sarasota, Florida. The foundation executes forest conservation, canopy ecology research, and environmental education across at least nine countries. Its flagship initiative, MISSION GREEN, has deployed twelve canopy walkways in high-biodiversity regions — including Peru, Malaysia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Madagascar, India, Bhutan, Mozambique, and multiple US sites — supported by the Center for Canopy Ecology research facility and the REU Canopy Explorers undergraduate program. Founder and Executive Director Dr. Margaret (Meg) Lowman ("CanopyMeg") is a recognized pioneer of forest canopy science whose authored works include "The Arbornaut," "Methods in Forest Canopy Research," "Treetops at Risk," and the children's conservation book "Beza."

The technical base consists of single-rope canopy access techniques and standardized biodiversity research protocols developed and published by the organization, complemented by adjunct programs such as the Church Forests of Ethiopia Conservation project, Malaysia Conservation Project, Myakka River Canopy Walkway, the Symphony for the Earth Project (PlantWave) with Purdue University, and the NSF-funded "Wheelchairs and Waterbears" research project. The foundation also publishes multimedia educational content across YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and books are distributed through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and independent retailers.

The revenue model is dominated by tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors, supplemented by book sales (e.g., "Beza" at $20 per copy with a one-for-one English-to-Amharic donation mechanic) and artist merchandise collaborations (e.g., silk scarves with proceeds funding conservation). Customer segments span students and educators, indigenous and local communities, research institutions, and the general donor public. Strategic partners include UNESCO, National Geographic Society, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network, Save a Turtle, New College of Florida, Purdue University's Center for Global Soundscapes, and DesignWorlds for Learning.

Name

TREE Foundation

Legal name

TREE Foundation

Website

https://treefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TREE Foundation is a Sarasota, Florida-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that conducts forest canopy research, conservation, and environmental education, operating twelve canopy walkways globally under its MISSION GREEN initiative and serving students, educators, indigenous communities, and research institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tree Care & Arborist Services (IMAIAIAB), Tree Planting & Establishment Services (Manual/Mechanized) (AFAMACAE)

Keywords

• Forest conservation
• Canopy research
• Environmental education
• Biodiversity preservation
• Wildlife conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarasota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: TREE Foundation operates as a non-profit charitable organization (FED ID#65-0904869) funded primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
2. Book Sales and Publications: Sale of conservation-themed books including 'Beza' ($20 including tax and free shipping), 'The Arbornaut', 'Methods in Forest Canopy Research', and other publications. For every English copy of Beza sold, one copy is distributed free in Amharic to Ethiopian children.
3. Art Sales and Collaborations: Partnership with artists like Meron Engidaw Hawke on silk scarf collections inspired by Ethiopia's Church Forests, with a portion of proceeds supporting TREE Foundation's conservation efforts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

TREE Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization that conducts forest canopy research, builds and operates canopy walkways in critical biodiversity regions worldwide, and delivers conservation education programs. Its MISSION GREEN initiative encompasses twelve canopy walkways across high-biodiversity rainforests in Peru, Malaysia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Bhutan, India, Mozambique, and the United States, complemented by research collaborations, community conservation partnerships, and published educational materials.

Product overview

TREE Foundation operates as a non-profit charitable organization focused on tree conservation, research, and education through a portfolio of interconnected programs. The core offering is MISSION GREEN, a global initiative featuring twelve canopy walkways across high-biodiversity rainforests worldwide, paired with conservation projects in Ethiopia, Brazil, and Malaysia. Supporting offerings include the Center for Canopy Ecology for research, the REU Canopy Explorers program for student research, the Symphony for the Earth Project (PlantWave) for biodiversity-inspired music, and educational programs including presentations, films, and publications. The organization also publishes books including BEZA (conservation children's book), The Arbornaut (Meg Lowman's memoir), Methods in Forest Canopy Research, and Treetops at Risk anthology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MISSION GREEN: A global initiative promoting tree conservation, sustainable economic opportunity for local indigenous people, and continuous research and education, featuring canopy walkways in high biodiversity rainforests.

Products and services

• Beza Book Children's conservation book 'Beza, Who Saved the Forests of Ethiopia, One Church at a Time' published in English and Amharic editions; priced at $20 including tax and free shipping, with one free Amharic copy distributed to Ethiopian children for each English copy sold.
• The Arbornaut Memoir by Dr. Margaret (Meg) Lowman documenting four decades of forest canopy explorations and the discovery of the world's canopies as the 'eighth continent.'
• Methods in Forest Canopy Research Comprehensive scientific book on forest canopy research methods co-authored by Margaret D. Lowman, Timothy D. Schowalter, and Jerry F. Franklin, published by University of California Press.
• Treetops at Risk Anthology about global canopy science co-edited by M. Lowman, S. Devy, and T. Ganesh, summarizing the current and future status of forests.
• MISSION GREEN Initiative Global initiative promoting tree conservation, sustainable economic opportunity for local indigenous people, and continuous research and education through twelve canopy walkways installed in high-biodiversity rainforests worldwide.
• Center for Canopy Ecology Research facility focused on canopy biodiversity and processes in plant communities, providing access methods, research protocols, conferences, publications, curriculum development, and public education.
• REU Canopy Explorers Program Collaborative research program providing undergraduate students from diverse academic backgrounds an opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary research in Ethiopian Orthodox church forests.
• Church Forests of Ethiopia Conservation Program Conservation initiative focused on protecting the last remaining forests of northern Ethiopia, working with local priests, communities, and faith leaders to safeguard these sacred forest fragments.
• Symphony for the Earth Project (PlantWave) Collaborative program with DesignWorlds for Learning and the Center for Global Soundscapes at Purdue University that creates musical experiences from plant biodiversity data.
• Canopy Education Programs Educational resources including forest facts, educational presentations, canopy methods, canopy photography, field guides, and links for youth, educators, and researchers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% reduction in turtle mortality through coordinated conservation efforts
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Forest Department (Tamil Nadu)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated night patrols and monitoring with volunteers to reduce turtle mortality by 50%. During the 2024-25 season, 319,895 eggs were collected across Tamil Nadu with 229,432 hatchlings released.
• Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative beach patrol operations during Olive Ridley turtle nesting season (December–April) to locate nests, collect eggs, and relocate them to protected hatcheries. SSTCN began as a small volunteer initiative roughly five decades ago.
• Save a TurtlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative turtle conservation organization working with TREE Foundation on beach patrol and nest protection efforts.
• UNESCOflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNESCO provided funding for church walls to protect Ethiopian church forests in perpetuity. A recently walled church forest near an Ethiopian school represents this partnership.
• Antonelli FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosting institution for Research Associate Adele Rossetti's artist residency at the Araçá Nature Reserve in Brazil's Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest) from April through May 2026.
• Center for Global Soundscapes at Purdue UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Symphony for the Earth Project (PlantWave) combining conservation with music and technology to document forest soundscapes.
• DesignWorlds for LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in Symphony for the Earth Project, working with TREE Foundation and Center for Global Soundscapes at Purdue University.
• New College of FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner where Dr. Meg Lowman served as director of environmental initiatives. Student teams conducted python tracking research in Sarasota County.
• Peter RavencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience Advisory Board member for Mission Green initiative. Renowned botanist and conservationist who chaired National Geographic Society World of Plants symposium.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rainforest Trust: Nonprofit that purchases and protects threatened tropical forests through donations, closely comparable to TREE Foundation in donation-funded forest conservation mission and global biodiversity focus.
• Center for Tropical Forest Science - Forest Global Earth Observatory: Global network conducting long-term forest monitoring and biodiversity research across tropical forests, comparable to TREE Foundation's Center for Canopy Ecology and cross-country research partnerships.
• Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN): India-based volunteer turtle conservation NGO with which TREE Foundation partners; an exact programmatic peer in community-led, citizen-science-driven turtle nest protection work.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy: One of the largest environmental nonprofits globally with forest conservation as a core program, comparable in donor-supported model and global biodiversity footprint to TREE Foundation, though vastly larger in scale.
• Rainforest Alliance: Global nonprofit working on biodiversity conservation and sustainable forestry, comparable to TREE Foundation in conservation focus and multi-country program structure, though operating as a certification and standards body rather than canopy research.
• Arbor Day Foundation: Large-scale US-based nonprofit dedicated to tree planting and conservation, sharing TREE Foundation's tree-centric mission and donation-driven revenue model, though focused more on reforestation at scale than canopy research.
• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Tropical forest research institution with canopy research and global biodiversity programs, overlapping with TREE Foundation's canopy ecology and biodiversity focus, though operating as a research institute rather than a charitable NGO.

Emerging players

• Canopy Planet Foundation: Nonprofit focused on forest canopy education and tree conservation, with overlapping mission to TREE Foundation's educational programming and canopy awareness initiatives.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/treefoundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQE9v5g6klieb_jY1A8LCrQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/treefoundation.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tree-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/treefoundationglobal
• TikToktiktok.com/@tree.foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 TREE Foundation