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CHICAGO (September 22, 2022) – The National Association of Realtors® today announced a partnership with the National Forest Foundation that will result in 1.575 million trees being planted across the United States. The initiative, which will plant at least one tree for each Realtor® by the end of 2025, was spearheaded by NAR's 2022 President Leslie Rouda Smith.
"As part of our association's comprehensive sustainability and resilience plan, NAR is leading by example, like we always do," said Rouda Smith, a Realtor® from Plano, Texas. "We're helping to foster more vibrant communities by increasing the number of trees around us, delivering cleaner air, enhancing stormwater mitigation and encouraging biodiversity in ecosystems.
"We are thrilled to partner with the National Forest Foundation as part of our ongoing efforts to support the millions of consumers and communities that we, as Realtors®, serve every day."
Planting 1.575 million trees reduces 750,000 metric tons of carbon in the atmosphere. This is equivalent to 145,931 homes' electricity use for one year or the annual operation of over 160,000 gas-powered passenger vehicles, according to EPA calculations.
Determinations on when and where trees will be planted will be made based on repopulation needs in areas affected by events like wildfires, drought or deforestation. NFF only plants native, ecologically appropriate trees and targets support to areas that need the most help.
"We are excited to partner with NAR to expand our tree planting efforts," said Mary Mitsos, President and CEO at the NFF. "The future of our national forests depends on partnerships like this one to sustain natural ecosystems, foster resilient forests and promote healthy communities. Each contributing dollar means one more tree planted to help to mitigate wildfires, offset carbon footprint, combat climate change and maintain 193 million acres of National Forests. We're grateful to NAR for engaging with us on this critical initiative and look forward to what we can accomplish by 2025."
The agreement articulates a partnership between NAR and the NFF to plant 1,575,000 trees in National Forest locations nationwide. A guaranteed donation of $1.575 million from NAR will be used to plant at least 1.575 million trees in National Forest lands by the end of 2025.
The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
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