Is Team Trees a Scam and Who is Responsible for the Project?

Team Trees (TeamTrees) located at www.teamtrees.org is not a scam, it is a legitimate tree donation project. The website's (#TeamTrees) goal is to plant 20 million trees around the globe by January 1st, 2020. The Arbor Day Foundation, the longest-running tree planting NGO, with 47 years of experience, and have the same Charity Navigator rating as the American Red Cross, is responsible for the project. The Arbor Day Foundation works closely with professional forestry partners including the U.S. Forest Service, and other government agencies and NGOs. They collect donations and send the funds to their reforestation partners, enabling them to cover the costs required to plant the trees.

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Is Team Trees a Scam and Who is Responsible for the Project?

Team Trees' Website

Team Trees Website

How did #TeamTrees get started?

#TeamTrees started in May 2019 when the internet challenged Mr. Beast to plant 20 million trees to commemorate hitting the 20M subscriber milestone. Fans then suggested he band together with a bunch of other YouTubers and influencers to make it happen. A growing group of them have been working hard for the past five months to set up the framework for this insane goal to have a fighting chance of success.

Who exactly is the Arbor Day Foundation and why did you choose them over other tree planting NGOs?

We quickly realized that to plant trees in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way we would need to partner with the professionals. After speaking with a number of people in the environmental space, the Arbor Day Foundation stood out as being the best. They are the longest-running tree planting NGO, with 47 years of experience, and they have the same Charity Navigator rating as the American Red Cross.

Does my donation go directly to the Arbor Day Foundation?

Yes. Donations through either TeamTrees.org or the YouTube donate button are sent directly to the Arbor Day Foundation to fund tree-planting. One dollar plants one tree.

Is this donation tax-deductible?

Since the Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization, there’s a good chance your monetary donation is tax deductible, but we recommend that you consult your tax professional, who’s familiar with your specific tax situation, to be sure. The Foundation’s Federal Tax ID number (also known as an EIN, Employer Identification Number) is 23-7169265.

What does my donation actually go towards?

For every dollar you donate, one tree will be planted in a forest of high need around the globe. It's that simple!

Where are the trees being planted?

Due to the sheer volume of trees planted (20 million), they will be planted in a variety of forests on public and private lands in areas of great need. Many of these forests will be state and national forests managed by government agencies. The goal is to plant trees on every continent not named Antarctica! Click here to see a list of the Arbor Day Foundation’s previous work around the globe.

Who will plant the trees?

The Arbor Day Foundation works closely with professional forestry partners including the U.S. Forest Service, and other government agencies and NGOs. They collect donations and send the funds to their reforestation partners, enabling them to cover the costs required to plant the trees.

When will the trees be planted?

Trees will be planted throughout the year starting in January of 2020 and completed no later than December 2022.

What species are going to be planted?

The Arbor Day Foundation always emphasizes planting native species where local conditions and forest plans allow. Their motto is to plant the right trees, in the right place, for the right reasons.

Why are you planting trees instead of preserving ones that already exist?

It is vitally important to protect, manage, and restore forests globally. We are focused on restoration because, according to the National Academy of Sciences, forest restoration has the most global climate mitigation potential compared to all other natural climate solutions. Restoring lands through tree planting is the Arbor Day Foundation’s area of expertise and something they’ve been doing for nearly five decades. There’s no silver bullet for fixing climate change, just silver buckshot, so we should actively pursue many different approaches including both preservation and restoration.

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Comments, Questions, Answers, or Reviews

Comments (Total: 15)

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November 27, 2019 at 6:59 AM by an anonymous user from: Knottingley, England, United Kingdom

CLickbait article. It clearly isn't a scam, and even if it is surely we can appreciate that so many people have come together to achieve this goal.

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November 28, 2019 at 9:43 AM by info

That is the purpose of the article, to prove to people it is not a scam because there are a lot of people who think it is, just check some of the comments posted.

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October 31, 2019 at 2:49 PM by an anonymous user from: Los Angeles, California, United States

It's a scam.

Any money donated through TeamTree is divided through deals and advertisements. Even if the money says it's going to Arbor Day Foundation, they are under no obligation to tell users how they're splitting up the money, which they do. For every dollar donated, only 0.70 is put to use for the project. That's an effective 30% being lost, to where?

If you wish to donate to the project, do it directly.

Delete

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December 26, 2019 at 10:33 AM by an anonymous user from: Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain

Yes, but they say a dollar plants a tree. You should still know that they need some money for management, but this is non-profit. They aren't stealing the money.

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November 12, 2019 at 7:10 PM by an anonymous user from: Basin, Wyoming, United States

good idea, but what if you live far away from the nearest place to donate money.

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November 7, 2019 at 4:17 PM by an anonymous user from: Orland Park, Illinois, United States

AKA

"It's a scam cuz they use some of the money to afford keeping the website up and the government from shutting it down."

Totally a scam then, of course..

Also, TeamTrees was created -in partnership- with the ADF, not just saying it goes there. Any money discrepancies were already discussed in meetings, which means this was the most cost-effective way they found of going about it.

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November 5, 2019 at 12:56 PM by an anonymous user from: Dublin, Leinster, Ireland

Just like virtually every charity on the planet

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November 3, 2019 at 9:34 PM by an anonymous user from: Pinole, California, United States

No it isn’t. Team Trees is legit

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November 3, 2019 at 6:17 PM by an anonymous user from: Austin, Texas, United States

They said there is taxes XD

Delete

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November 3, 2019 at 6:15 PM by an anonymous user from: Austin, Texas, United States

How do you know this huh?

Delete

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Is Team Trees a Scam and Who is Responsible for the Project?