Hike for KaTREEna

New Orleans suffered many losses in Katrina and its aftermath. One of the major casualties was the city’s trees. Over 100,000 were lost, including most of the beautiful magnolias and many live oaks.

In 2006, lifelong New Orleans resident Monique Pilié hiked the 2175 miles of the Appalachian Trail, starting in Georgia and ending in Maine. Her goal was to raise awareness of the storm’s impact on the city’s treescape and to raise enough money to plant one tree in New Orleans for every mile she hiked. To that end she started a non-profit organization called “Hike for KaTREEna”.

On October 7 2006, after six months hiking, Monique finished the Appalachian Trail, arriving at Mt Katahdin in Maine. During the hike she raised thousands of dollars. She came home and, together with a host of volunteers from New Orleans and across the country, she began planting trees.

Hike for KaTREEna is still planting… and still raising money to replace the tens of thousands of trees still sorely missed in New Orleans.

Hike for KaTREEna is dedicated to replanting the many trees lost due to Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures in Greater New Orleans.

We work in cooperation with local government agencies and other local tree-planting agencies. We invite participation from volunteer groups, schools, environmental and non-profit groups, local and national businesses and committed individuals – basically, anyone who’s willing to wield a shovel or scrabble in the dirt to plant a tree.

Our planting season runs from October to May, avoiding the summer months.

There are plenty of ways you can help us replant New Orleans and the surrounding areas:

We also welcome corporate sponsorship. If you’d like to become a corporate sponsor of Hike for KaTREEna, please contact us directly.

Hike for KaTREEna Timeline

August 29, 2005	Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf Coast and the levees give way in New Orleans.
September, 2005	New Orleans loses over 100,000 trees in Katrina’s aftermath.
April, 2006	Monique Pilié hikes the Appalachian Trail in order to raise money to plant a tree for each mile she hikes.
October, 2006	Monique completes the 2175-mile hike.
Late 2006	Hike for KaTREEna begins planting trees in New Orleans.
October 30, 2008	We plant the 2175th tree.
October 30, 2008	Hike for KaTREEna announces its new goal – to plant 100,000 trees in the Greater New Orleans area.
September, 2009	We pass the 5,000 tree mark!
April, 2011	Monique plants the 10,000th tree, then heads off to hike the Appalachian Trail again.

A special thank you

Hike for KaTREEna thanks all those individuals, community groups and companies from Louisiana and across the nation who have pitched in to help. Looking around the city, it’s easy to spot the difference you’ve made to our area’s recovery.

We’d like to make a special mention of Task Force LLC. The company has provided major financial sponsorship over the years and its employees have participated in plantings around the city.

If you organization would like to sponsor Hike for KaTREEna, please contact us.

Our Sponsors

Over 100,000 trees lost The legacy of Katrina and the levee failures
What we do Replanting Greater New Orleans
How you can help Plant, water, donate...
13,126 trees and counting… A timeline of Hike for KaTREEna
Sponsor spotlight A big thank you.
In the news Watch CBS's story on our 5th anniversary.

Planting Season Begins!

Hike for KaTREEna is gearing up for another great planting season that will continue the reforestation and beautification of our beloved city of New Orleans. To schedule your neighborhood planting, volunteer with us, or order trees for your home, school, park, etc., contact us by calling our office in Gentilly at:

The St. Paul’s Homecoming Center, 1509 Filmore Ave., New Orleans, LA 70122. Our phone number is: 504-644-4125 and you can send an e-mail to info@hikeforkatreena.org.

Would you like to help the environment, support Hike for KaTREEna, and feed your family with fresh Louisiana citrus? You can do all of this by purchasing a fruit tree for just $25.00. Choose from Meyer Lemon, Satsuma, Naval Orange, Grapefruit and Lime. We will plant your tree for an extra $25.00 donation.

For more information, or to order your fruit trees, call 504-644-4125 or e-mail us at info@hikeforkatreena.org.

The NFL, United Way, and GMC Restore Gatto Park

A coordinated effort was made by our corporate partners along with agencies from the City of New Orleans such as ServeNOLA, Councilmember Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, Parks and Parkways, and the New Orleans Recreation Department to restore Gatto park in Gentilly.

A new playground was built. Beautiful magnolia, live oak, and cypress trees now enhance the landscape in the once empty green space.

Thank you to our military volunteers, the National Football League, the United Way, and General Motors Corporation for your sponsorship and volunteers for this extraordinary effort that was completed in one day.

Join a planting

We plant throughout much of the year, except the summer. If you’d like to join us, take a look at the schedule for our upcoming plantings and then hit the Volunteer With Us page to let us know you’re interested. We supply shovels and water, so all we need is your enthusiasm and labor.

Endo Pharmaceutical Restores Joe Brown Park

In October 2011, HFK hosted 150 corporate volunteers from Endo Pharmaceutical who were here in New Orleans for their conference. Their efforts focused on painting pavilions, planting and mulching trees at Joe Brown Park in New Orleans East. It is amazing how much was accomplished in just a few hours and how rewarding the experience was for all participants!

Corporate groups have become a valuable resource for our recovery and their own team building programs. Hike for KaTREEna is prepared to host all corporate, convention, or conference groups of any size. For more information, e-mail info@hikeforkatreena.org.