Next year marks a milestone: the halfway point of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global effort to reverse ecosystem degradation. 1t.org was launched to help drive this mission with an ambitious goal—conserving, restoring, and growing one trillion trees.
As we reach this turning point, we’re pausing to reflect on what it will take to create the right conditions for meaningful, measurable results. The past five years have brought new challenges, unexpected shifts, and exciting opportunities. To meet the moment, we’re evolving our platform to drive even greater impact for forests and the communities that rely on them.
Before we move forward, let’s take a look back at the year that shaped us: the hurdles we faced, the progress we made, and the reasons to stay optimistic about the road ahead.
Barriers to Progress: 2024’s Toughest Moments
Extreme Temperatures: Did it feel hotter than usual this year? You’re not alone. Many regions experienced record-breaking heat in 2024, with “excessive heat” becoming the second most Googled news trend globally. For cities, this highlighted the need to protect existing trees and plant more street trees to combat rising temperatures and build resilience to climate change. |
Corporate Climate Commitments Stalled: 2024 was a wake-up call for corporate climate action. After years of bold promises, some companies started to backtrack. The Science Based Targets Initiative marked 239 companies as “commitment removed” for failing to meet validation deadlines. But this isn’t the end of the story. Many businesses are reassessing and setting more realistic, measurable goals. We’re hopeful this reckoning will spark a new wave of commitments, with nature and forests taking center stage. |
Forest Fires: Each summer we’re seeing more and more forest fires across North America, with impacts are devastating for public health, biodiversity, and climate. Forest fires now cause nearly one-third of global tree cover loss each year, a troubling trend that weakens ecosystems and hampers their role in fighting climate change. |
Building Momentum: Forest Wins of 2024
Federal Investment: Two years after the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed, we’re seeing its impact. This historic legislation delivered $5 billion to the Forest Service for forest conservation and restoration, plus $1.5 billion for urban and community forests. American Forests Foundation receiving $5 million for to support family forest owners, American Forests signing a $20 million keystone agreement to scale up reforestation across national forests over the next five years, and the USDA deployed $1 billion for urban forest initiatives in all 50 states. |
Wildfire Recovery with REPLANT: The REPLANT Act modernized the decades-old Reforestation Trust Fund, unlocking hundreds of millions of dollars annually for reforestation efforts. This funding has enabled the U.S. Forest Service to partner on wildfire recovery projects, including reseeding and erosion control in fire-affected areas. By removing outdated limits, REPLANT is helping restore national forests and build resilience for the future. This funding will enable the U.S. Forest Service’s partnerships to address wildfire recovery through restoration, such as reseeding and erosion control in wildfire-affected areas across the West. |
Forests Took the Stage at Both Climate Week and COP: Global policymakers are addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation at major conferences like Climate Week and COP. Forests remain central to solving these challenges. Deforestation is a major driver of negative impacts on biodiversity and land use change. And we cannot address the climate crisis without restoring our global forests. Fortunately, we saw a growing recognition for forests at COP and New York Climate Week. We look forward to continuing to drive the conversation and bring forests to the center stage. |
Expansion of Private Forest Conservation Programs through Forest Legacy: In 2024, the Forest Service invested $544 million to protect over 608 thousand acres of private forestland in the U.S. Partnerships helped conserve these lands to safeguard water supplies, prevent wildfires, and protect wildlife. Funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund and IRA, this initiative supports local communities and economies while preserving working forests. You can review the funded proposals by state on the USFS website. |
Policy Framework to Combat Deforestation: The US government produced a policy framework to guide potential demand-side measures to reduce the importation of deforestation-linked commodities, reaffirming the Administration’s support for the collective goal of halting and reversing global deforestation by 2030. The Administration has also produced a report summarizing tools and practices that agencies use or can adopt to avoid deforestation in multiple development sectors. This report and the policy framework provide a coherent foundation for demand-side deforestation policy and international capacity building to advance sustainable land use and reduce deforestation globally. |
Technology and Innovation for Reforestation: It was a defining year for new technology with innovators introducing technology and AI-driven mapping tools to enhance restoration accuracy. These tools help identify degraded lands suitable for reforestation, focusing on biodiversity recovery and carbon capture. Our partners at Restor announced a new transparency tool to support and enable project funders to understand their impact on nature, map the projects and communities they are working with, and facilitate allocation of finance. The World Economic Forum released a report ‘Investing in Natural Capital: Innovations Supporting Much-Needed Financing for Nature’ that outlines some of these advancements. |
Let us know what we missed for wins, and what you’re excited about in 2025! Look forward to hitting the ground running!