Smart Trees Pacific

What Smart Trees Pacific does

Smart Trees Pacific (legal entity: Friends of Hawaii's Urban Forests) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1998 and headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. The organization provides urban forestry services across the Pacific region, including tree planting, reforestation of urban parklands, tree risk assessments, urban forest mapping and canopy assessments, and storm/disaster preparedness planning. Its core offerings include the Citizen Foresters volunteer training program, the Guam Urban and Community Forestry Program, annual Arbor Day events, and youth educational programs. The organization has developed proprietary methodologies such as the Urban Forestry Incident Command Engagement Model (UFICEM) and applies USDA Forest Service protocols to quantify tree canopy coverage and benefits (e.g., 28,859 tons of annual CO2 reduction, 35 million gallons of stormwater intercepted per year in Honolulu based on 43,817 inventoried trees).

The organization's revenue model is donation- and grant-based: 100% of program operations are supported by grants from government entities (notably the U.S. Forest Service State and Private Forestry branch and the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources) and individual contributions. As a charitable entity, Smart Trees Pacific does not sell products or services commercially; donations are tax-deductible. Its go-to-market approach is community-led, relying on volunteer recruitment, grassroots engagement, educational outreach, and an annual Arbor Day tree giveaway program in partnership with Arbor Day Hawaii and other local organizations.

Smart Trees Pacific operates with a small team of approximately 7 employees and is governed as a private nonprofit with no institutional investment or private equity backing. Its distribution channels are community-based — Citizen Foresters, Arbor Day events, government and nonprofit partnerships — rather than commercial sales channels. The organization serves Hawaii and Pacific Island communities, with deep institutional relationships across federal, state, and county government agencies, arborist associations, and community groups.

Name

Smart Trees Pacific

Legal name

Friends of Hawaii's Urban Forests

Website

https://smarttreespacific.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smart Trees Pacific is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing urban forestry services, volunteer training, canopy assessments, and emergency planning to communities across Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, funded by government grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Forestry Services

NAICS

Timber Tract Operations (11311)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban & Community Reforestation / Street Tree Planting (AFAMACAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arborist Consulting, Tree Risk Assessments & Appraisals (HSAIADAJ)

Keywords

• Urban Forestry Services
• Nonprofit Conservation
• Tree Canopy Assessment
• Arboriculture Education
• Emergency Operations Planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: 100% of program operations are supported by grants, government entities, and generous contributions of individuals who share the goal of increasing understanding, establishment, maintenance, and protection of urban forests.
2. Government Grants: Funding from government entities including the State and Private Forestry branch of the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, and State of Hawaii forestry programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Smart Trees Pacific (legally Friends of Hawaii's Urban Forests) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes urban forestry across Hawaii and the broader Pacific Islands. It delivers tree planting, arboriculture education, urban tree canopy assessments, emergency operations planning guidance, and public tree-selection tools such as SelecTree: Pacific Islands, supported by its proprietary UFICEM framework.

Product overview

Smart Trees Pacific is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and a leader in Pacific urban forestry with over 40 years of collective experience. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs and services: core urban forestry services including tree planting, risk assessments, and mapping; the Citizen Foresters Program that trains community volunteers as tree stewards; the Guam Urban and Community Forestry Program; and annual Arbor Day events. Educational programs and downloadable resources (brochures, guides, assessment tools) complement direct services. Past projects include the Kaulunani UCF Program, Urban Tree Canopy Assessments using USDA Forest Service protocols, SelecTree for Pacific Islands, and the Urban Forestry Emergency Operations Planning Guide developed in collaboration with emergency management professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SelecTree: Pacific Islands

Quantifiable outcome

• Trees reduce atmospheric CO2 by 28,859 tons annually, valued at $22,311
• +5 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Arbor Day HawaiʻicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmart Trees Pacific partners with Arbor Day Hawaiʻi to coordinate annual tree giveaways. Each November, thousands of free trees are given away to residents at events across the state.
• Lani-Kailua Outdoor CirclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner for Kailua Arbor Day events, hosting tree adoption events with plants, professionals who teach planting and care, education, volunteers, and materials like compost and mulch.
• Aloha Arborist AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides professional arborists who climb trees and demonstrate proper tree care techniques at Arbor Day events.
• Master GardenerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in Arbor Day events to answer plant-related questions from community members.
• Tree for Honolulu's FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on Arbor Day events, including running the Keiki art contest for children.
• Alexander and Baldwin HawaiisupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor contributing to growing trees for Kailua Arbor Day events for multiple years.
• Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked as part of the Hawaii Forestry team on the State of Hawaii's Forest Action Plan, specifically developing the urban forestry section.
• The Outdoor CirclesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloping the Exceptional Tree Initiative database of protected trees in Hawaii, building on the 1975 Exceptional Tree Act.
• City and County of HonolulucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Hawaii's 100,000 Tree Map initiative and the Honolulu Urban Tree Canopy Report applying USDA Forest Service protocols.
• Honolulu Division of Urban ForestrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides tree-related guidelines and contact information for inquiries relating to city street trees.
• Maui CountysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinated with Maui County Arborist Committee on the Maui County Planting Plan resource document.
• Hawaiian Electric (HECO)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides the 'Planting the Right Tree in the Right Place' booklet as a resource for proper tree placement near power lines.
• State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on the Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program and Arbor Day Hawaiʻi initiatives.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bartlett Tree Experts: Bartlett Tree Experts is a national commercial arboriculture firm offering tree risk assessment and consulting — comparable as a broad incumbent provider of arborist services overlapping Smart Trees Pacific's consulting and assessment offerings.
• The Davey Tree Expert Company: Davey Tree is the largest commercial tree-care firm in North America, providing arborist consulting, tree risk assessment, and utility vegetation management — comparable as a broad incumbent that competes for arborist-risk-assessment and emergency-vegetation-response work similar to Smart Trees Pacific's UFICEM scope.

Direct peers

• Trees Atlanta: Trees Atlanta is a 501(c)(3) urban forestry nonprofit running volunteer-driven tree planting and forest restoration programs in metropolitan Atlanta — directly comparable in mission, volunteer model, and urban canopy focus.
• TreePeople: TreePeople is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit focused on urban forestry, tree planting, and community volunteer engagement — directly comparable as a mission-aligned 501(c)(3) urban forestry organization with a community-forester training model similar to Smart Trees Pacific's Citizen Foresters.
• Casey Trees: Casey Trees is a Washington, D.C.-area nonprofit dedicated to urban tree planting, tree canopy assessment, and community forestry education — comparable in product/mission (planting, canopy analysis, citizen engagement) and nonprofit GTM as Smart Trees Pacific.
• Arbor Day Foundation: Arbor Day Foundation partners directly with Smart Trees Pacific through Arbor Day Hawai'i to coordinate statewide tree giveaways. It is a directly comparable nonprofit focused on tree planting, education, and community forestry programs.
• Urban Resources Initiative: Urban Resources Initiative (Yale URI) is a New Haven-based nonprofit that engages community volunteers to inventory, plant, and care for urban trees — directly comparable in citizen-volunteer-based urban tree stewardship model.
• American Forests: American Forests is the national urban-and-community-forestry nonprofit (parent of the former Alliance for Community Trees) and a primary federal partner in USFS urban forestry grant delivery. Directly comparable as a national urban-forestry nonprofit that shapes the same federal funding streams Smart Trees Pacific depends on.

Emerging players

• Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program: Kaulunani is the State of Hawaii's USFS-funded urban and community forestry program and is a direct funder/partner of Smart Trees Pacific; comparable as a Pacific-region urban-forestry program with overlapping community-engagement scope.

Regional players

• Pacific Forest Trust: Pacific Forest Trust is a California-based nonprofit focused on forest conservation and climate resilience on private and public forestland — comparable as a regional, Pacific-area nonprofit operating in adjacent forest-conservation and ecosystem-services space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smart-trees-pacific

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Smart Trees Pacific