# Trees Columbus

> Member nonprofit planting, preserving and protecting the tree canopy of Columbus, Georgia since 2000

Source: https://treerm.org/org/trees-columbus · Updated 2026-11-08 · Data license: CC BY 4.0 (https://treerm.org/about#license)

## Facts

- Type: Nonprofit
- Scope: Local
- Headquarters: Columbus, Georgia, United States
- Founded: 2000
- Website: https://www.treescolumbus.org
- Volunteer sign-up: https://www.treescolumbus.org/projects
- Donate: https://www.treescolumbus.org/join-donate
- Events calendar: https://www.treescolumbus.org/what-we-do
- Countries where they plant: United States
- Activity types: Urban forestry (primary), Education & advocacy
- Trees on record: 22,000 (larger of latest cumulative figure and sum of annual figures; trees planted or distributed)

## About

Trees Columbus, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) member organization in Columbus, Georgia (not Columbus, Ohio) founded in 2000 by citizens responding to the planned loss of 150 mature trees in Lakebottom Park. It plants trees in parks, schools, Fort Moore and along streets during a December-to-February planting season, advocates for public trees along highway rights of way, and runs classroom forestry education and tree walks. In 2024 it won a $900,000 Georgia Forestry Commission Trees Across Georgia grant for its Grow Shade parks canopy project, which aims to plant 500 trees in under-served parks by 2028.

## Programs

- **Grow Shade: The Trees Columbus Parks Project** — Urban forestry (2024–present): Four-year canopy restoration in Columbus Consolidated Government parks funded by a $900,000 Georgia Forestry Commission Trees Across Georgia grant, starting with Carver Park and Theo McGee Park in the 2024 season and aiming for 500 trees by 2028. https://www.treescolumbus.org/parks-project-2
- **Community and school plantings** — Urban forestry (2000–present): Volunteer plantings each December to February at schools, Columbus State University, Fort Moore and city parks. https://www.treescolumbus.org/projects
- **Forestry education and tree walks** — Education & advocacy: Classroom urban forestry programs for local students, guided tree walks and arborist information for residents. https://www.treescolumbus.org/what-we-do

## Metrics

> Note: Cumulative planting figures differ by source: the 2024 Form 990 says over 22,000 trees, while the website homepage says over 20,500 and the Who We Are page says over 20,000. The 500-tree target for the Grow Shade parks project (by 2028) is a goal, not a result, and is not recorded as a metric.

| Metric | Year | Value | Cumulative | Program | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---:|---|---|---|---|
| Trees planted | 2024 | 22,000 | yes (to date) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text/202523219349326197/IRS990) IRS Form 990 for calendar year 2024, Part III line 4a: 'Over 22,000 trees have been planted by Trees Columbus'; same filing: education programs reached 'over 200 students in 2023' |
| Funds raised (USD) | 2024 | 900,000 | no (that year) | Grow Shade: The Trees Columbus Parks Project | Self-reported | [source](https://www.treescolumbus.org/parks-project-2) Parks Project page: 'Trees Columbus was awarded $900,000 from the Georgia Forestry Commission's Trees Across Georgia grant program' for the four-year Grow Shade project (awarded January 2024) |
| Trees planted | 2024 | 175 | no (that year) | Grow Shade: The Trees Columbus Parks Project | Self-reported | [source](https://gpb.org/node/1194306) Georgia Public Broadcasting, Sept 9 2024: the group 'had already planted 175 trees in Carver Park and Lakebottom Park this year' (partial-year figure as of September 2024) |

Confidence: self-reported is the organization's own published figure; independently verified means a third party confirmed it; estimated means TreeRM derived it and the note says how.

## Links

- instagram: http://instagram.com/treescolumbus
- facebook: https://www.facebook.com/treescolumbus/

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