STIHL Tour des Trees kick off

The 2016 STIHL Tour des Trees kicks off in just two short months, traveling through the Tar Heel and Palmetto States, starting and ending in Charlotte, North Carolina. 103 riders have signed up for this year’s Tour to benefit the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund). Cyclists will travel 561 scenic miles through North and South Carolina, beginning on Oct. 9 and returning to Charlotte for a victory lap through the city on Oct.15. Overnight stops include Mount Airy, Greensboro, Raleigh, Southern Pines, Camden and Charlotte. The event has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Travel + Leisure, American Airlines’ in-flight magazine, The Huffington Post and CNN.

“As a sponsor of STIHL Tour des Trees, we believe in the TREE Fund’s mission of keeping trees healthy through research and education,” said Roger Phelps, corporate communications manager for STIHL Inc. “The riders and supporters of this fundraiser have a contagious enthusiasm for trees that gives us confidence today’s children will become tomorrow’s advocates.”

Since 2002, TREE Fund has issued nearly $3 million in research, scholarship and education grants for urban forestry and arboriculture researchers, as well as student and community education programs. On-going research provides communities and tree care professionals proven strategies on how to better propagate, plant and care for trees, creating a more resilient and healthier urban canopy. 

Support the work of the cyclists and the TREE Fund with a donation today at stihltourdestrees.org.