STIHL Tour des Trees 2014 combined a 585-mile cycling route through Wisconsin with fundraising for tree research and urban forestry education.
The Tour Raised Money for Tree Research
(VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.) – Registration is now open for the STIHL Tour des Trees, an annual weeklong cycling event that travels hundreds of miles through a different region of North America each year. The event, which is America’s largest fundraiser for tree research, benefits the Tree Research & Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund). Every Tour includes tree plantings, educational programs and community engagement activities in addition to spectacular scenery, bucket-list cycling and a level of camaraderie that sets this ride apart from other charity fundraisers.
This year’s STIHL Tour des Trees will traverse Wisconsin from July 27-Aug. 2, 2014, and will include stops in Madison, Door County, Green Bay and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The University’s arboriculture and urban forestry curriculum is one of the nation’s best, and noted researcher (and TREE Fund grant recipient) Dr. Richard Hauer will be a featured speaker at dinner in Stevens Point. The Tour concludes Aug. 2 on the campus of Mount Mary University during the International Society of Arboriculture’s International Tree Climbing Championship. Featured in Forbes, the Huffington Post, and CNN, recent Tours have cycled through Canada, New York, Virginia and Oregon, educating the public about the importance of urban trees and planting dozens more along the way.
Riding in the STIHL Tour des Trees gives me the opportunity to educate, inspire, and change communities across the U.S. It is an exciting week spent doing something for kids, trees and myself,” said Justin Espy, a field testing technician at STIHL Inc., certified arborist and two-time Tour rider. Cyclists come from a variety of professions and include arborists, educators, entrepreneurs, accountants and tree enthusiasts from all over the world.
Registration for the full Tour is limited to 100 cyclists and often sells out early. Each full-Tour cyclist commits to raising $3,500 for the TREE Fund, and the $100 registration fee includes lodging and meals as well as a custom apparel kit and full mechanical and rider support for the entire week. A partial-Tour registration option with a prorated fundraising requirement is also available.
Since 1992, the Tour has raised more than $6.6 million for tree research and education programs, making possible more than 400 TREE Fund research grants focused on arboriculture and urban forestry and the safety of the tree care workforce since 1976, along with scholarships for college students across the country.
Sponsors of the STIHL Tour des Trees include STIHL Inc.; TREE Fund Crown Sponsor Bartlett Tree Experts and The Davey Tree Expert Company; TREE Fund Partners Arborjet; Asplundh Tree Expert Co.; International Society of Arboriculture; KASK Helmets; and the Tree Care Industry Association; Event Sponsors Tree Services Magazine; Arbor Age; Madison Gas & Electric; National Grid; Arizona Public Service; PacifiCorp; Lewis Tree Service; Unitil; Arborwell; Bandit Industries; Morbark, Inc. Trees, Inc.; SavATree; Utility Arborist Association; West Coast Arborists Inc.; Anderson’s Tree Care; Ford Motor Company; Forestry Equipment of Virginia; Gamma Tree Experts LLC; Vermeer; Wright Tree Service, Inc.; and Workshop Creative Group.
Source: STIHL Tour des Trees, TREE Fund, STIHL Inc.
STIHL is also pleased to support the work of Independent We Stand, the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund), International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), National FFA, Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), the National Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) and the National Association of State Park Directors.
Related: tree-planting efforts helping restore forests around the world.
Urban Trees Need Research and Long-Term Care
Tree planting gets attention, but research on pests, soils, pruning, species selection and climate resilience helps those trees survive long enough to deliver real benefits.
For more tree coverage, see our global tree-planting coverage.
Conclusion
The Tour des Trees turned a cycling event into support for the science behind healthier urban forests. That connection between public engagement and research remains valuable.
Source: TREE Fund and event information preserved above.
