The American Native Tree Initiative
The American Native Tree Initiative
The American Native Tree Initiative is a national conservation effort led by The Catalei Foundation to inspire and equip Americans in every state to restore native habitats—one tree at a time. Rooted in the Foundation’s faith-based call to stewardship, this program provides citizens, families, and communities with practical, region-specific guidance on planting and caring for trees that are native to their own local ecosystems.
From red maples and Ohio buckeyes in the Midwest to ponderosa pines in the Rockies and live oaks in the South, the initiative unites Americans under a shared goal: to renew the land entrusted to us by God through the beauty and resilience of native trees.
Mission & Goals
Educate citizens on the ecological and spiritual importance of native species in supporting biodiversity, pollinators, and soil health.
Develop a state-by-state planting guide that identifies native trees, recommended planting seasons, and partner nurseries.
Empower churches, schools, and families to host local “Plant Your State” events each spring and fall.
Promote stewardship and unity by encouraging every American to take part in protecting and restoring the nation’s natural heritage.
Explore The Catalei Foundation’s American Native Tree Guide — a state-by-state resource to help Americans plant native trees that restore the beauty and balance of our nation’s landscapes.
| State | Species 1 | Species 2 | Species 3 | Species 4 | Species 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) | Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) | Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) | Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) |
| Alaska | White Spruce (Picea glauca) | Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) | Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) | Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) | Black Spruce (Picea mariana) |
| Arizona | Arizona Sycamore (Platanus wrightii) | Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) | Velvet Mesquite (Prosopis velutina) | Arizona Cypress (Hesperocyparis arizonica) | Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) |
| Arkansas | Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata) | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) |
| California | Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) | Valley Oak (Quercus lobata) | California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa) | Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) | Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) |
| Colorado | Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) | Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) | Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) | Narrowleaf Cottonwood (Populus angustifolia) | Gambel Oak (Quercus gambelii) |
| Connecticut | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) | American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) |
| Delaware | Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) | Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | White Oak (Quercus alba) | American Holly (Ilex opaca) |
| Florida | Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) | Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) | Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii) | Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) |
| Georgia | Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) | Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) | Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) | Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) | Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) |
| Hawaii | ʻŌhiʻa Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) | Koa (Acacia koa) | Wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis) | Hala (Pandanus tectorius) | Loulu Palm (Pritchardia spp.) |
| Idaho | Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) | Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) | Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) | Western Larch (Larix occidentalis) | Black Cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) |
| Illinois | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | American Elm (Ulmus americana) |
| Indiana | Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) | American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) |
| Iowa | Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) | Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) | Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) |
| Kansas | Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) | Chinkapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) | Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) | American Elm (Ulmus americana) | Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) |
| Kentucky | Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) | Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) |
| Louisiana | Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) | Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) | Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) | Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) |
| Maine | Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) | Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) |
| Maryland | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) | Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) | Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) |
| Massachusetts | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | White Oak (Quercus alba) | American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) | Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) |
| Michigan | Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | Northern White-Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) | Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) |
| Minnesota | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) | Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) | Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) |
| Mississippi | Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) | Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) | Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) | Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) | Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) |
| Missouri | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) | Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) | Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata) | Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) |
| Montana | Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) | Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) | Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) | Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) | Plains Cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. monilifera) |
| Nebraska | Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) | Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) | Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) | Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) | American Linden (Tilia americana) |
| Nevada | Singleleaf Pinyon (Pinus monophylla) | Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) | Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) | Fremont Cottonwood (Populus fremontii) | White Fir (Abies concolor) |
| New Hampshire | Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) | Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) |
| New Jersey | Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | American Holly (Ilex opaca) | Atlantic White-Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) | Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) |
| New Mexico | Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) | Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeana) | Rio Grande Cottonwood (Populus deltoides var. wislizeni) | Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) | Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) |
| New York | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) | American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) |
| North Carolina | Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) | Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) | Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) |
| North Dakota | Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) | Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) | Boxelder (Acer negundo) | Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) | Plains Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) |
| Ohio | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra) | American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) |
| Oklahoma | Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) | Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) | Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) | Shumard Oak (Quercus shumardii) | Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) |
| Oregon | Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) | Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) | Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana) | Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata) | Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) |
| Pennsylvania | Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) |
| Rhode Island | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) | Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) | American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) |
| South Carolina | Sabal Palmetto (Sabal palmetto) | Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) | Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) | Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) |
| South Dakota | Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) | Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) | Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) | Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) | Plains Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) |
| Tennessee | Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) | Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) |
| Texas | Live Oak (Quercus fusiformis / Q. virginiana) | Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) | Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) | Cedar Elm (Ulmus crassifolia) | Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) |
| Utah | Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) | Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) | Pinyon Pine (Pinus edulis) | Gambel Oak (Quercus gambelii) | Fremont Cottonwood (Populus fremontii) |
| Vermont | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) | Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) | Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) |
| Virginia | Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) | American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) |
| Washington | Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) | Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata) | Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) | Red Alder (Alnus rubra) | Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) |
| West Virginia | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) | White Oak (Quercus alba) | Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) |
| Wisconsin | Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) | Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) | Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) |
| Wyoming | Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis) | Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) | Plains Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) | Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) | Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) |