Our history

Spanning a century, read about our journey from Men of the Trees to International Tree Foundation.

One hundred years ago, an environmentalist had a vision to empower communities to plant trees that protect the planet and transform their landscapes and lives.

International Tree Foundation’s roots trace back to 1922, when the pioneer environmentalist Richard St Barbe Baker served as a Forestry Officer in Kenya.

During his service, St Barbe witnessed rampant deforestation and realised the urgent need to plant and protect trees. At a time when very few recognised the importance of trees, St Barbe joined forces with a local chief, Josiah Njonjo to rally communities to plant and protect them. That moment, in the shadow of Mount Kenya, was the birth of International Tree Foundation and its mission to plant, protect and promote trees.

Originally called Watu wa Miti or Men of the Trees, the vision of the organisation and our founder quickly caught on. Upon his return to England in 1924, St. Barbe’s enthusiasm and passion for planting and protecting trees captured the minds of many. It was not long until Men of the Trees spread to over 100 countries around the world.

Today, over 100 years later, we are still here. And what’s more, that pioneering vision of community-led forest restoration is more relevant than ever.

But our work has always been about more than planting individual trees. It is about empowering communities to protect and benefit from the landscapes around them. It’s about stopping threatened species from going extinct and reversing biodiversity loss. It’s about gender justice and giving people the tools to transform their lives.

A visionary pioneer

Richard St Barbe Baker, was ahead of his time in advocating for trees and the natural world. He practiced permaculture and agroecology before they were officially invented and warned of the horrific impact of deforestation to humanity and our planet. He saw that the rapid decline of indigenous forests and climate change were integrally linked.

St Barbe championed ideas like sustainable development, desert reclamation, fair trade and ecotourism and from 1931 wrote thirty books about these ideas.

Although not as well known as modern environmentalist like Attenborough, St Barbe left a lasting legacy. Some estimates suggest his influence has led to the planting of many billions of trees worldwide. Numbers on that scale are hard to verify, but what we do know is, he impacted the lives of countless people, inspiring them to plant, promote and protect trees.

Many of ITF’s supporters today were inspired to join us after meeting St Barbe in person. Some have been generously planting trees with us for more than 50 years, such was the deep impact of our founder.

“Today it is the duty of every thinking being to live and to serve not only his own day and generation, but also generations unborn, by helping restore and maintain the green glory of the forests of the earth.”
— St Barbe Baker.

Today

Today, at International Tree Foundation, we continue to honour St. Barbe's legacy by planting and protecting trees in partnership with communities.

We work with local groups and organisations to plant trees and improve livelihoods.

  • Dance of the Trees, Kenya 1922

  • Green Front Campaign, Trafalgar Square, London, 1952

  • St Barbe talking to young children about trees

  • Tree nursery in Kenya, 1989

Plant trees and restore forests today

St. Barbe was generations ahead of his time in terms of recognising the importance of trees and forests in sustaining life on earth and he inspired thousands of people across the world to join him in planting and protecting them. Will you join global restoration community with a donation today?