Trees on a Road - Brief Article

American Forests, Autumn, 2000

Many states offer residents license plates decorated with the state tree or other regional tree species. Money collected for such plates usually goes toward local environmental restoration projects or groups.

Florida, one of the first states to offer environmental license plates, today lets resident choose from several plates with trees. California sports a "Lake Tahoe" plate with pine needles; money helps restore wetlands and eroded soil. And in New Jersey, drivers can get the Pinelands license plate to help protect the state's 1 million acre Pinelands National Reserve.

The states produce an estimated 1,000 environmental plates, but no one has ever counted how many contain trees or forests, according to Tom Murray, author of Official License Plate 2000. His favorites: the New Jersey Pinelands, Oregon's douglas-fir, and Idaho's conservation plate.