NOLA Tree Project

What NOLA Tree Project does

NOLA Tree Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2006 (originally as Hike for KaTREEna) in New Orleans, Louisiana, in response to Hurricane Katrina's destruction of an estimated 200,000 trees in the greater New Orleans region. The organization plants and distributes trees across Orleans Parish through two core programs: a December-to-March Urban Forestry planting program that works in public green spaces, parks, and schools, and the Big TREEsy Giveaway program that distributes over 4,000 free trees annually to residents across approximately five events per year. To date, the organization reports planting and gifting 91,018 trees across 36+ neighborhoods and engaging more than 125,000 volunteers. Educational resources (Plant & Maintain), a disaster-recovery manual, and a recently launched fruit-tree retail line ($50 citrus, $60 olive/avocado) round out the service portfolio.

The organization is governed by an Executive Director (Connie Uddo) and Chief Administrator (Mark Uddo), with a six-person board, and operates with 1-10 employees. Revenue derives from three streams: individual donations processed via PayPal, corporate sponsorships (Entergy, Apache Corporation, Burk-Kleinpeter, Boh Bros., Meraux Foundation), and modest fruit-tree sales at giveaway events. Named Fortune-class volunteer partners — Starbucks, NFL, American Express Global, Entergy, and JP Morgan Chase — indicate corporate CSR engagement, while media features on NBC Nightly News, CBS Sunday Morning, ABC News, ABC Secret Millionaire, and PBS lend national visibility. The organization holds no disclosed revenue figure and has raised a single documented grant of $40,000 in 2016 from the ABC Secret Millionaire TV Show.

Name

NOLA Tree Project

Legal name

NOLA Tree Project

Website

https://nolatreeproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NOLA Tree Project is a New Orleans-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that plants and distributes trees across Orleans Parish through the Big TREEsy Giveaway program and urban forestry plantings, serving local residents, schools, and corporate volunteer partners since 2006.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Forestry and Environmental Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Tree Planting & Establishment Services (Manual/Mechanized) (AFAMACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tree Preservation & Construction Site Tree Protection (HSAIADAL)

Keywords

• Urban forestry services
• Tree planting programs
• Community volunteer engagement
• Disaster recovery support
• Environmental restoration services

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for tree plantings and Big TREEsy giveaway events. Sponsors contribute funds that go towards purchasing trees and supplies for urban forestry programs. Sponsors are invited to participate in plantings or to sponsor volunteer groups.
2. Donations: Individual donations received through PayPal and other channels to support tree planting programs and community service projects.
3. Fruit Tree Sales: Sale of fruit trees at Big TREEsy giveaway events. Trees sold at $50 each (Meyer Lemon, various oranges, satsuma, key lime, etc.) and $60 each (Arbequina Olive, Hass Avocado).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NOLA Tree Project is a community-based non-profit that plants and gifts trees in the Greater New Orleans region through its Big TREEsy Giveaway program (free trees to residents) and direct urban forestry plantings in public green spaces during the December–March season. It also runs volunteer engagement programs for corporate groups, convention groups, and community organizations, and provides disaster recovery resources and tree-planting educational materials. Paid fruit trees (citrus, olive, avocado) are sold at giveaway events at fixed unit prices, while most of its impact is funded by individual donations and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

NOLA Tree Project is a non-profit organization that offers community-focused tree planting and environmental programs. The core offerings include the BIG TREESY GIVEAWAY program for distributing free trees to residents, the URBAN FORESTRY program for public green space plantings, DISASTER RECOVERY resources for community support, PLANT & MAINTAIN educational materials, and VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS for corporate and community engagement. These programs work together to transform lives and communities through tree plantings and community service projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Big TREEsy Giveaway Program A free tree giveaway program for New Orleans residents, hosting approximately 5 events per year throughout Orleans Parish districts. Over 4,000 trees are given away annually, including educational workshops on tree planting and maintenance. Some paid fruit trees (citrus varieties at $50, olive and avocado at $60) are also available at the events.
• Urban Forestry Planting Program Tree planting service that operates from December to March, planting a variety of trees throughout the Greater New Orleans region in public green spaces (parks, neutral grounds, cemeteries, city green spaces) to address urban forestry and environmental issues such as urban heat island effect and stormwater management.
• Volunteer Programs (Corporate, Convention, and Community) Custom tree planting experiences designed for groups, with tailored services for corporate teams (team building, CSR, employee engagement), convention groups (meaningful volunteer activities during visits), and community organizations (neighborhood service projects). Over 120,000 corporate volunteers coordinated, with named participants including Starbucks, NFL, American Express Global, Entergy, and JP Morgan Chase.
• Disaster Recovery Resources Disaster recovery manual and educational resources providing guidance for flood cleanup and disaster recovery support for affected communities, drawing on the organization's experience responding to Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav, Zeta, and Ida.
• Plant & Maintain Educational Resources Educational resources and guidance on tree planting and maintenance techniques, including video tutorials and step-by-step instructions for proper tree care, provided to residents who receive trees and to schools, community centers, and the general public.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91,018 trees planted & gifted throughout New Orleans since 2006
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

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

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

• EntergymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEntergy is a major sponsor and partner of NOLA Tree Project. Their logo appears on the sponsor page indicating financial and promotional support for tree planting programs.
• Apache CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApache Corporation sponsors NOLA Tree Project's tree planting initiatives. Their logo appears on the sponsor page indicating corporate sponsorship.
• New Orleans Parks and ParkwayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParks and Parkways is a key municipal partner that works with NOLA Tree Project on plantings in public green spaces. A video featuring their work appears on the Plant & Maintain page.
• Arbor Day FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArbor Day Foundation is a partner organization. Their data on tree stormwater retention (100 gallons per tree) is cited as supporting evidence for the organization's mission.
• Burk-KleinpeterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurk-Kleinpeter is listed as a sponsor on the NOLA Tree Project sponsor page.
• Boh Bros. ConstructionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoh Bros. Construction is listed as a sponsor on the NOLA Tree Project sponsor page.
• Meraux FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeraux Foundation is listed as a sponsor on the NOLA Tree Project sponsor page.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Arbor Day Foundation: National tree-planting and forestry education nonprofit that is both a partner of NOLA Tree Project and a much larger ecosystem player. Comparable mission with national scale and program breadth.
• Keep America Beautiful: National nonprofit with broad community improvement, beautification, and tree planting programs across the US. Much larger and broader in scope but overlaps on urban greening and corporate volunteer partnerships.

Regional players

• City Parks Foundation: NYC-based nonprofit managing environmental programs in city parks including tree planting and urban forestry. Comparable urban park tree planting program but concentrated in New York City.

Direct peers

• Casey Trees: Washington DC urban forestry nonprofit that plants trees, engages volunteers, and partners with corporate groups for community plantings. Closely mirrors NOLA Tree Project's program mix and CSR volunteer model.
• Friends of Trees: Portland-based nonprofit that plants trees in neighborhoods and natural areas through community events and volunteer engagement. Closely aligned volunteer-driven urban tree planting model.
• TreePeople: Los Angeles-based nonprofit focused on urban forestry, tree planting, and environmental education with similar volunteer-driven community planting model. Directly comparable mission and program structure.
• New York Restoration Project: NYC-based nonprofit founded by Bette Midler that plants trees and restores parks in underserved neighborhoods. Comparable post-disaster/community-recovery tree planting mission and urban green space focus.
• Tree Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh-based nonprofit focused on urban tree planting, tree maintenance, and community forestry. Comparable program scope including planting, education, and volunteer engagement.

Emerging players

• Billion Oyster Project: NYC-based nonprofit restoring oyster reefs and waterfront ecology through volunteer restoration events. Comparable volunteer-driven urban environmental restoration model, though focused on marine rather than terrestrial ecosystems.

Others

• Sustain Dane: Regional sustainability nonprofit in Wisconsin focused on community environmental programming. Tangentially related through community-based environmental education and engagement model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NolaTreeProject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nola-tree-project

Compliance1 record

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 NOLA Tree Project