The next time you visit one of America’s 154 national forests, you will encounter a lot of trees. Trees, in addition to being beautiful and majestic, are amazing because they produce oxygen, reduce carbon in the atmosphere, preserve soil and water, and support wildlife. If you’re lucky on your national forest journey, you may pass by a tree that was planted because of propane.
Each guest on the Path to Zero podcast, hosted by PERC President and CEO Tucker Perkins, is asked to choose a national forest in which a tree will be planted in the guest’s honor. PERC then goes through one of three tree-planting programs to fulfill each guest’s request: Trees Remember, A Living Tribute, and The Gifted Tree.
In all, Path to Zero guests have dedicated 64 trees to national forests in 26 states, including:
- Sierra National Forest (California)
- Mark Twain National Forest (Missouri)
- Ouachita National Forest (Oklahoma)
- Ocala National Forest (Florida)
- Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Finger Lakes National Forest (New York)
- Flathead National Forest (Montana)
- Olympic National Forest (Oregon)
- Tongass National Forest (Alaska)
There are an estimated 3 trillion trees in the United States. In 2022, the National Forest Foundation says more than 8 million trees were planted in national forests. Our 64 trees may not seem like many, but each tree planted is a positive step for the environment.
The environmental story doesn’t end there. Propane is a low-carbon fuel alternative, producing far fewer emissions than the equivalent amount of electricity generated from the U.S. grid. In fact, Maine’s Acadia National Park relies on propane to cleanly power their Island Explorer buses while protecting the air and habitats of the forest’s flora and fauna; in the last 20 years, the buses have reduced carbon emissions by 27 tons and prevented the release of 41 tons of smog-causing pollutants.
Plus, propane won’t contaminate soil or groundwater because it’s non-toxic and non-poisonous. Advances in renewable propane promise to deliver even greater environmental benefit well into the future.
Happy Earth Day!
