Memorial Trees
Plant a Tree in Memory in a National Forest...it's a thoughtful way to express your sympathy and allow the legacy of someone special to live on.
Plant a Tree in Memory in a National Forest...it's a thoughtful way to express your sympathy and allow the legacy of someone special to live on.
Four Memorial Tree Dedication Options
We offer options of one tree and multiple trees to suit every need:
1) The Memorial Tree Gift... plants 1 or more trees, we’ll include a personalized certificate and a card with your personal message. Traditional printed or E certificate available.
2) The Memorial Grove...plants 5 or more trees, we’ll include a personalized certificate and a card with your personal message. Traditional printed or E certificate available
3) The Memorial Tree Gift Card...plants 1 tree, our most affordable option. With this option, we send the card directly to and you write your own message and send the card to the recipient.
4) The Collective Grove...once set up, it allows folks to contribute trees to a large grove in the name of the deceased. This is a great option for any group of family members or friends interested in dedicating trees for the same person or for mentioning in obituaries as a requested condolence.
Plant a Tree in Memory as a Lasting Tribute
If you’re struggling to find unique, thoughtful and lasting memorial gift ideas amongst all the sympathy flowers and cheesy trinkets, we’re so glad you’re here.
Few tributes are as meaningful and long lasting as planting trees in our nation's forests. Our customers often describe our memorial tree planting as a wonderful service that brings comfort and hope during difficult times.
When someone passes, here’s what usually happens: Their loved ones are inundated with funeral flowers that can brighten up a home for a short period of time but die days later and are then put in the trash.
Not exactly uplifting, is it? That’s why we offer Memorial Trees, a living tribute to honor the departed for generations. These tree gifts stand out, serving as a living tree memorial that has deep meaning for the family and friends who receive them.
Our National Forests Need Restoration
There are over 1 million acres of our National Forests currently in desperate need of restoration, according to the Forest Service.
Our nation's forests have been devastated by wildfires, drought, disease and other natural disasters-- taking a huge toll on wildlife habitat and precious ecosystems. This is happening all over the U.S., but especially in the Pacific Northwest.
Dedicating memorial trees is not only a beautiful way to remember someone, it's also a beautiful way to help nature transform these areas into healthy forests for future generations.
When you Plant Memorial Trees, you Make an Impact
Plant a tree in memory of someone who has passed through us, and the tree will go to where it is needed most. Our trees are always native species trees and they are planted in National Forests desperate for restoration. By supporting our reforestation efforts, your gift will make a lasting difference in the world by helping to restore areas of woodlands that have been destroyed by wildfire.
When you plant trees as a memorial, the recipient of the gift will be able to see photographs of the saplings, planting location maps, and periodic growth updates online. They can even go visit the location if they wish. The trees help comfort grieving loved ones by giving them life and growth and hope to focus on.
A Living Legacy Through Memorial Trees
Plant a tree in memory of your loved ones and create an enduring tribute that grows stronger each day. Our memorial trees transform traditional expressions of sympathy into living monuments while helping restore America's National Forests.
The Journey of Your Memorial Tree
Every memorial tree begins its journey as a carefully propagated native seedling, planted by a dedicated team in areas of National Forests that need restoration most. We visit the planting location soon after to take photographs and create location visiting directions. This documentation, made available on our website, allows you and your recipients to witness your tree's growth from the very beginning.
Nature's Healing Touch
Research shows that connecting with nature can help ease the grieving process. Memorial trees provide a unique way to channel grief into positive environmental action, offering both emotional comfort and ecological benefits. Each tree planted becomes part of a larger story of renewal and hope.
Seasonal Growth Updates
Unlike one-time sympathy gifts, our memorial trees offer ongoing connections. We provide tree growth updates every 5-10 years, showing how your tree and its surrounding forest area develop over time. These glimpses help families feel connected to their loved one's living tribute throughout the years.
Wildlife Impact
Your memorial tree gift does more than honor a memory - it creates new homes for wildlife. As these trees mature, they provide shelter for birds, food for small mammals, and help restore critical wildlife corridors in fire-damaged areas of our National Forests.
Family Gathering Places
Many families choose to visit their memorial trees, turning these sites into meaningful gathering places for remembrance. These living memorials become destinations where future generations can connect with their family history while experiencing the beauty of restored forest lands.
Educational Legacy
Memorial trees offer unique learning opportunities for younger family members. Children can track their tree's growth, learn about forest ecosystems, and understand how their loved one's memory is helping protect the environment.
Community of Remembrance
Join our community of families who have chosen to honor their loved ones through forest restoration. Your memorial tree becomes part of a larger mission to rebuild damaged ecosystems while creating lasting tributes that grow more meaningful with time.
Gift Options That Grow
Choose from our thoughtfully designed memorial tree programs:
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Individual Memorial Trees with personalized certificates
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Memorial Groves for extra special tributes
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Collective Grove programs for community and extended family remembrance
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Gift cards to keep on hand for a quick condolence option
Forest Restoration Impact
Each memorial tree contributes to critical reforestation efforts across America's National Forests. These trees help prevent soil erosion, improve water quality, and restore areas devastated by wildfires, creating a lasting environmental legacy in memory of your loved one.
Digital Memorial Features
Track your memorial tree's journey through our online platform:
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Planting location maps and GPS coordinates
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Periodic growth photographs
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Yearly environmental impact updates
From Grief to Growth
Transform loss into renewal by planting memorial trees that benefit both people and the planet. Your thoughtful choice to plant a tree in memory helps create living sanctuaries where future generations can find solace, inspiration, and connection to those who came before.
Is Memorial Tree Planting Legit?
We can't speak for other services, but we are the real deal.
YES, we are ACTUALLY planting trees.
We know that when you dedicate memorial trees with Trees for a Change, you are placing your trust in us, and we take that very seriously. So, we show you real photos of the saplings and maps of the actual restoration locations. We'll also send you an email with updated photos when we revisit the planting site in the future.
For us it's all about the trees and the relationships we've built with our customers. Knowing that together we can make positive changes for people and the planet while offering a meaningful gift is the reason we are in business.
- Our planting locations in National Forests
- Memorial Trees vs. Flowers
- Sympathy Message Ideas
- Memorial, Grief & Burial Links
Memorial Tree Planting Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the memorial trees planted? Can I choose the location?
We work with the U.S. Forest Service to plant our memorial trees in National Forests that have been destroyed by wildfire. We allow folks to plant a tree in memory where the trees are most needed to help restore nature and truly honor their loved ones. It's because new life in a badly burned forest is a symbol of hope that each memorial tree planting through Trees for a Change is a meaningful tribute that gives back to the earth.
How can someone track their memorial trees?
Our “Find Trees” feature in the top menu bar allows gift recipients to search for tree info by name or order date. They’ll find tree planting maps, photos of the young trees, forest details, and the option to sign up for updates—making every memorial tree planting more personal.
When I plant a tree in memory, can I receive updates on the tree?
We automatically send updates to those who have planted memorial trees for deceased loved ones. Our team strives to revisit planting areas every 5–10 years to take new photos and check in on the trees’ progress. You can opt out of updates at any time.
Can the memorial tree planting locations be visited?
Yes, our memorial trees can be visited and each forest location page has information about visiting. Each year we plant many trees to restore a large area of devastated forest, and many families have found it meaningful to visit their planting location and witness up close the hope of new life in the forest. *Please note we aren’t able to provide coordinates to individual trees.
When will the memorial trees be planted?
We estimate about how many trees we'll need to plant for each calendar year, then the trees are planted that year in the early summer (this is the best time for survival.) We move our planting project to a new location once we've dedicated all the trees we planted that year. We do things this way so folks who receive memorial tree gifts in the last half of the year don't have to wait all the way until the following summer to find out about their trees. Rest assured, each and every tree gift given through Trees for a Change has a baby tree or trees accounted for in the designated planting location.
When I plant a tree in memory, what does it include?
Our memorial trees at Trees for a Change include:
*The number of native species trees you choose planted in a U.S. National Forest
*A card with an explanation of the memorial tree planting and room for your personal message
*Your gift recipient's name recorded on our Tree Gift Registry so they can find information about their memorial tree/s
*Online access to tree photos, planting location information & maps with driving directions for tree gift recipients and tree gift givers
*FREE shipping in the U.S.
*Optional personalized memorial tree certificates, frames and pop-up cards
How are you different from other plant a tree in memory services?
*We provide a name registry so folks can feel confident their memorial trees were planted and track their tree location
*We personally take photos of the baby trees and post them on the website soon after they are planted
*We visit the memorial trees in the future and take updated photos, then send out tree planting updates
*We provide tree location maps & directions so folks can visit the memorial trees of their deceased loved ones
*We are woman-owned and powered by integrity and love
