Washington, DC (April 21, 2003) AMERICAN FORESTS (americanforests.org) has reached its goal of planting a million trees for Earth Day. The "Million Trees for Earth Day" campaign, urged organizations across the United States to help plant trees to celebrate Earth Day, April 22nd. To date, 1,014,417 trees will be planted by businesses and companies through American Forests. The "Million Trees" campaign began on January 1.

In less than three months, more than 34 organizations became involved. Companies and businesses of all sizes are participating in 揂 Million Trees for Earth Day.?Organizations such as IKEA, Hewlett Packard, Crystal Geyser, Anheuser Busch, and Earthbound Farms have given American Forests their support for the efforts. Each tree will be planted with local partners in restoration projects across the nation.

揟he simple act of planting trees makes a measurable impact on environmental concerns ranging from global warming, to the loss of wildlife habitat, to air and water pollution,?said Deborah Gangloff, executive director of AMERICAN FORESTS. 揥e are proud to partner with businesses that realize the importance of trees for environmental restoration.?

The public can plant Global ReLeaf trees through AMERICAN FORESTS?website, www.americanforests.org. Every $1 donated plants one native tree in an ecosystem restoration project. Online, people will find information ranging from the best way to plant a tree in their yard to an easy way to plant trees in one of 25 ecosystem restoration projects underway this year.

AMERICAN FORESTS has planted more than 20 million trees in areas damaged by human or natural causes since 1990 in our Global ReLeaf projects. The trees were planted in more than 500 projects across the United States, as well as 21 countries worldwide.

HOW TO PLANT YOUR BLUE SPRUCE SEEDLING

1. Plant your seedling as soon as possible. Prepare a planting area by turning the soil. Select an area where the seedling will have adequate space to grow into a full sized tree both above and below the ground. (Pay special attention to utility wires.)
2. Place the root collar (the place where the roots join the stem) slightly below soil level.
3. Settle soil with water to remove air pockets.
4. Protect seedling from damage caused by feet, lawnmowers, pets, etc.

BLUE SPRUCE

The blue spruce is one of the most admired and widely known of all North American evergreens. Its pyramidal crown and crisp, silvery blue foliage is one of its most striking features. This is one of the most widely planted evergreens in the nation. Its attractive color, form and tolerance to a variety of conditions make it a popular choice.

Growth Form: conical
Crown Density: dense
Size: 60 - 100 feet high
15 - 35 foot spread
Drought Resistance: fair
Cold Hardiness: excellent
Growth Rate: slow
Elevation: up to 9,500 feet
Soil Conditions: fair alkaline tolerance
Wildlife Value: high: song and ground birds, and grouse.

AMERICAN FORESTS, founded in 1875, is the oldest national nonprofit citizen conservation organization. Its three Centers - Global ReLeaf, Urban Forest, and Forest Policy - mobilize people around the world to improve the environment by planting and caring for trees. AMERICAN FORESTS publishes American Forests magazine and can be found on the Internet at www.americanforests.org