LINCOLN, Neb. -- Recent wildfires across Nebraska have destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres, devastated landscapes and communities, and left homeowners without the trees on their property that provide shade, protection and beauty.

In response to these challenging circumstances, PlantNebraska (formerly the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum) has launched the PlantNebraska Disaster Recovery Fund, which will provide free trees to Nebraska homeowners who have been impacted by the wildfires and other natural disasters.

The immediate focus of the Disaster Recovery Fund is wildfire recovery, but the fund will remain in place to respond quickly to future disasters across the state.

The goals of the fund for this initial phase are to provide every impacted landowner with a free tree to plant; support replanting efforts around homes impacted by wildfire, storms and other events; and help to restore shade, wildlife habitat and community resilience.

“Nebraska is, unfortunately, leading the country in tree canopy loss right now,” said PlantNebraska Executive Director Hanna Pinneo. “This Disaster Recovery Fund is one way we can work to reverse this trend and help communities become more resilient.”

Donations can be made to the PlantNebraska Disaster Recovery Fund at plantnebraska.org/replant. A donation of $50 provides one tree for a Nebraska homeowner; $100 plants a bundle of tree seedlings for habitat; $500 replants a block of street trees.

Homeowners impacted by the 2026 Nebraska wildfires can request a free tree by completing the form at plantnebraska.org/replant.

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