Taking Root
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States · Nonprofit · Regional · since 2013
Greater Cincinnati campaign counting plantings toward 2 million trees, with mini forests, giveaways and mini-grants
About
Taking Root is a volunteer-led Cincinnati nonprofit (incorporated in 2016 after launching as a regional campaign in fall 2013) that works to conserve and improve the tree canopy of the eight-county Tri-State region spanning southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana. Its headline effort is a goal of 2 million new trees, one for every resident, tracked through the RegisTree tool where residents and partners log plantings; the website counter stood at 338,028 trees planted in November 2026. Programs include Tree for Me free yard-tree giveaways in low-canopy neighborhoods (funded by the Duke Energy Foundation since 2018), a Miyawaki Mini Forest Initiative that planted its first 625-tree forest in Camp Washington in April 2026, mini-grants to community planting projects, Make a Difference Day plantings, and annual Tree Professionals Seminar and Great Tree Summit education events.
What they run
Regional registry where residents, communities and organizations log trees they plant toward Taking Root's goal of 2 million new trees across the Tri-State; the running total is displayed on the homepage.
Free 5-gallon, 5-6 foot trees for homeowners in target low-canopy and environmental-justice neighborhoods across Hamilton and Butler counties, Northern Kentucky and Lawrenceburg, Indiana, funded by the Duke Energy Foundation.
Dense, native Miyawaki-method mini forests on small urban and corporate sites, planned with the UC Field Center, Ohio Valley Forestry Fellowship and Cincinnati Parks; first forest planted in Camp Washington in April 2026, with a second there and a corporate site at ADVICS in Lebanon, Ohio.
Grants of $250 to $1,500 to community groups for tree planting in low-canopy neighborhoods, parks and school grounds; 34 grants to 29 organizations from 2016 to 2020.
Trees by type of work
| Activity | Trees | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 📣 Education & advocacy | 338,028 | 2014–2026 |
| 🎁 Tree adoption & giveaways | 1,500 | 2026 |
| 🌱 Afforestation | 625 | 2026 |
Only figures attached to a named program count here. Organization-wide totals sit in the table below.
The numbers
| Metric | Year | Value | Program | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trees plantedto date | 2014 | 56,000 | RegisTree 2 million tree count | Self-reported | sourceWVXU, Aug 22 2014: 'more than 56,000 trees have been planted in Greater Cincinnati' since the campaign kicked off in fall 2013, toward the goal to 'plant 2 million trees in our region by 2020' |
| Trees plantedto date | 2026 | 338,028 | RegisTree 2 million tree count | Self-reported | sourceHomepage 'Trees Planted' counter (data-number-value 338,028, accessed Nov 7 2026) under the text 'Total number of trees planted is updated periodically'; counts plantings registered by the public and partners since the 2013 campaign launch toward the 2 million goal |
| Trees distributedto date | 2026 | 1,500 | Tree for Me | Self-reported | sourceTree for Me page: 'over 1500 trees have been distributed' since 2018 with Duke Energy Foundation funding (accessed Nov 2026) |
| Trees planted | 2026 | 625 | Miyawaki Mini Forest Initiative | Self-reported | sourceNews post, Apr 22 2026: 'On April 18, over 70 volunteers planted 625 native trees' on a 1,800-square-foot city-provided site in Camp Washington |
How they report
What earned it
- 5/20 Publishes annual tree figures: 1 year of annual figures on record (5 points each, up to 4 years)
- 15/15 Figures are recent: Latest annual figure is for 2026
- 10/10 Every figure has a public source: 4 of 4 figures link to a source
- 0/15 Publishes financials or cost per tree: No financial figure recorded
- 0/15 Reports survival or monitoring: No survival or monitoring figure
- 0/10 Independently verified figure: All figures are the organization's own
- 10/10 Breaks figures down by program: Figures attached to named programs
- 5/5 Reports volunteers or events: Public events listed
- Latest annual figure
- 625 trees in 2026
- Compare
- Put Taking Root next to others · method
Upcoming events
- Tree Talk & BrewsTue, Nov 17, 2026, 6:00 PM EST · Community meeting · Cincinnati
- 2026 Tree Professionals SeminarRegisterThu, Dec 3, 2026, 8:30 AM EST · Training / workshop · Cincinnati
- Great Tree Summit 2027 (save the date)Sat, Feb 27, 2027, 12:00 AM EST · Training / workshop · Fairfield