From a Local Day of Service to a National Movement
Some ideas grow because they meet a need. Saluting Branches grew because people saw a meaningful way to serve. And we’ve become one of the organizations supporting veterans that people return to, year after year.
Saluting Branches began with a simple idea: bring arborists together to use the skills they already had to honor veterans. What was first imagined as a one-time volunteer event became an annual National Day of Service and, over time, a nationwide movement.
Today, volunteers, companies, and industry partners come together to care for hundreds of veteran-dedicated properties across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Mexico.
The work can be counted in trees cared for, volunteer hours, equipment, and donated services. But the reason behind it is more personal. These are places where families come to remember people they love. Caring for them is one small way to show that service and sacrifice are not forgotten.
The Idea Behind Saluting Branches: An Organization Supporting Veterans
The roots of Saluting Branches trace back to Rainbow Treecare, where leaders were looking for a national service project that could make a real difference in communities and show what the arboriculture industry could accomplish when people worked together.
That search led them to a volunteer event at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. Local tree care professionals came together to donate their time and skills while caring for a place dedicated to veterans.
The experience struck a chord. Arborists, crews, and companies that might normally work separately stood side by side with a shared purpose. They were doing familiar work, but in a place where that work carried a deeper meaning.
One question came out of that day: What if we could do this across the country?
Building a National Day of Service
Making that idea a reality took coordination, persistence, and the support of people throughout the industry. Saluting Branches worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs and cemetery leaders to identify locations where professional tree and landscape care could make a meaningful difference.
The original plan was to begin with a handful of sites. Then cemetery directors, industry professionals, companies, and volunteers began embracing the mission. More people wanted to be part of it, and the idea grew quickly.
In 2015, Saluting Branches held its first National Day of Service, bringing communities across the country together in one coordinated effort to honor veterans through service.
A Powerful First Year
The response to our inaugural event exceeded expectations.
The numbers were remarkable, but what they represented mattered even more: people choosing to show up. Climbers, ground crews, Site Leaders, cemetery teams, companies, and volunteers all brought something to the day.
Together, they showed what was possible when an industry came together around a purpose bigger than any one company or crew.
That first year was only the beginning. Explore past events to see how the National Day of Service has grown over the years.
Growing the Mission
What began as a grassroots effort grew into something bigger than anyone could accomplish alone. As participation grew year after year, Saluting Branches evolved from a volunteer initiative into an independent, standalone nonprofit organization with national reach.
That evolution meant more than a new name. Saluting Branches earned its 501(c)(3) status, built the leadership structure to match its growing impact, and created the systems that empower volunteers, Site Leaders, and locations across the country to do this work well — together.
Along the way, Saluting Branches formalized the mission that continues to guide the organization today:
“We honor American servicemen and women by organizing volunteer tree and landscape care for the land and property dedicated to our veterans.”
Saluting Branches Today
Today, Saluting Branches serves 100+ veteran cemeteries, memorials, hospitals, and other places that honor their service throughout North America. We’re an organization supporting veterans that’s grown significantly since our founding — but our purpose hasn’t changed: bringing together the arboriculture industry to honor American servicemen and women through hands-on care for the places that remember them.
Become Part of the Story
What began as a single volunteer effort continues to grow — one volunteer, one Site Leader, one sponsor, one donor at a time. The next chapter of Saluting Branches is still being written.
Help us write it.
