Bring Fruit Trees to Native American Reservations

Dear friend:

We hope this letter finds you healthy and happy this new year! In November 2021, we planted fruit trees on four continents to symbolize our commitment to planting tens of thousands more at those project locations during the coming season. All with the goal of helping create a world full of abundance, in which food forests fill public parks, community gardens, schools, hospitals, and backyards to ensure everyone has access to organic, sustainable, perennial nutrition right at their fingertips. A place where families enjoy picnics under the shade of thriving fruit trees, breathe the clean air they generate, watch birds and wildlife foraging amongst the canopy, and are asked only to bring an appetite for the fruits growing overhead. A world in which we come together in collective selfless action to plant trees now so that future generations can benefit from the beauty and bounty they provide.

Throughout the year, we are excited to receive updates from previous planting partners as well as formal recognition from local governments such as Los Angeles County and Mococa, Brazil, where trees from our programs are now providing thousands of pounds of fruit for communities. Every year, we share a couple of these stories so you can see exactly how you are making a difference each and every time you support our work (many more examples can be found on our social media sites throughout the year).

Orchard update –"A food forest is the only way to describe our campus ... an oasis in an urban desert. A place where butterflies, bees, birds, and all manner of wildlife frolic and dance among the seasonally changing colors. A place where one feels at peace, where the rich smell of ripe figs, guavas, loquats, and apples perfume the air. Every school deserves to be a food forest." –Eddie Cortes, Horticulture Specialist at Environmental Charter School in Los Angeles, which received an orchard donation in 2008 as part of our Fruit Tree 101 program

Orchard update – “We recently had an elder pass by and mention he hasn’t seen fruit trees like ours in years, we picked a ripe apple and gave it to him, grateful that our urban orchard can inspire and delight."–Heather Fenney, Co-Executive Director of the Paul Robeson Community Wellness Center in Los Angeles, where each tree is producing about 20-25 pounds of fruit

We are excited to report that in 2021, we planted and distributed 43,825 fruit trees in six countries (United States, Uganda, El Salvador, Guatemala, Brazil, and Peru). We often remind community volunteers that once we plant trees together, we are friends for life—and we are so grateful to have made so many friends this year. We know this is true for those who support our programs in other ways as well, including our donors, who make all this work possible in the first place. We are so very grateful to have you as a friend for life and hope you’ll consider contributing to our upcoming projects so we can create a beautiful “fruiture” together.

Please donate today knowing that for the eleventh year in a row, more than 90 cents of every dollar contributed was used in our life-sustaining tree planting programs.

 For a greener, cleaner, healthier planet, 

Cem Akin, TreeEO & Co-creator

In May 2021, FTPF brought our Trees for Tribes program to a new tribal partner, the Bay Mills Indian Tribe of Michigan. The four orchards donated here this year, when mature, will provide 2,255 pounds of harvest annually, creating a source of perennial, sustainable nutrition to the tribe’s 1,309 enrolled members for generations. The tribe will also benefit from the many smaller fruiting berry plants installed alongside the orchards as well.

The Bay Mills Indian Community first applied for an orchard grant from the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation in 2019 after tribal leadership heard about similar work we had done with the Saginaw Indian Tribe of Michigan. Plans were in place to work with the tribe in 2020, but had to be rescheduled due to the situation on the reservation caused by the COVID19 pandemic. After two years of waiting, the community was really excited and in high spirits for the orchard planting events and workshops. Below are descriptions from each of the four orchard plantings:

Waishkey Bay Farm This orchard was planted at the tribal community college farm site, where it will be utilized by students for educational purposes and families for its harvest. A group of enthusiastic special needs students from the EUPISD Learning Center also joined us for the planting, bringing lots of questions and joy to an already special day. A total of 61 fruiting plants were installed (33 fruit trees and 28 berries) around the farm, including large bareroot apples, pears, elderberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Volunteers also set up a large deer fence—no small task—as well as rabbit guards and tree stakes to ensure the trees are protected from local wildlife and strong winds.

Old Lyons Orchard A gorgeous location welcomed a new orchard of 34 trees and 6 berries, adjacent to one of the oldest orchards in the region with 100+-year-old apple trees surrounding the newly planted trees. Tribal Chairperson Whitney Gravelle opened the event with a ceremony dedicating a tree to the memory of Bülent Altay. 

Bay Mills Commodities Center / Bay Mills Child Development Center We celebrated the final day of tree planting with the tribe by planting two orchards at adjacent locations. At the Commodities Center, 8 trees and 18 berries, including apples, elderberries, blueberries, and raspberries, were planted; at the Child Development Center, a variety of 16 trees were planted. Volunteers also helped us set up drip irrigation and put on tree guards to ensure the trees are protected and receive plenty of water in the hot summer months. Many of these volunteers had been planting with us over the past several days and were experts by now, installing the orchard with care and skill to ensure it will survive and thrive for decades to come.

Overall, this project was a huge success and we appreciate all those who support food sovereignty and tribal health by contributing to our Trees for Tribes program. Here's to a very fruitful future for the Bay Mills Indian Community!