Organise a tree plantation drive in India

How to organise a tree plantation drive in India

A tree plantation drive brings people together to plant native trees at one prepared site on one day. In India, most drives happen in the monsoon, around World Environment Day (5 June) and Van Mahotsav (first week of July). For a company, it can be a team event, part of a CSR programme, a World Environment Day or Van Mahotsav activity, or a way to involve customers and partners. Done well, it leaves behind trees that survive, not just photos.

Plan it like a programme, not an event

Most drives that fail do so after the event: saplings planted in the wrong season or soil, species that do not suit the land, and nobody to water or protect them. Before fixing a date, settle three things:

• The site. Your own campus, public or school land near your office, farmland through agroforestry, or a coastal site for mangroves. Each needs permission from the landowner and a plan for who looks after the trees.
• The species. Native trees suited to the local soil and rainfall survive best. On farmland, fruit and timber trees give farmers an income they keep.
• The care afterwards. Watering, weeding, protection and replacing saplings that die. Grow Billion Trees cares for every tree for three years and reports survival; across our programmes, 85% of trees survive.

Checklist for the organiser

1. Agree the goal (team engagement, CSR, a campaign or an event day) and the budget.
2. Choose the date, city and expected number of people. Book early for 5 June and the first week of July.
3. Confirm the site, species, number of trees and plan for the day with us.
4. Send the invitation with the meeting point, timing, transport and what to wear.
5. On the day: safety briefing, a short demonstration, planting, then photos and a group moment.
6. Afterwards: share the photos, certificates and digital forest page, and follow the trees' progress.

What participants should bring

Comfortable clothes, closed shoes, a cap and a water bottle. We bring the saplings and tools and run the safety briefing. For larger groups, plan transport to the site and some shade and drinking water.

When to hold a plantation drive

In most of India, the monsoon (roughly June to September) is the best time to plant, because young trees get steady rain while their roots establish. In Tamil Nadu and parts of the south-east coast, the north-east monsoon months also work. Drives outside the rains are possible with planned watering.

What a drive costs

Trees are priced from ₹299 each, which covers a 2-3 ft sapling, planting, three years of care and a geo-tag. The quote for a drive depends on the site, city, group size and number of trees. Use the project cost estimator for a first figure, or tell us about your drive for a quote.

After the drive

Every tree is geo-tagged and tracked on GreenTrack. Participants get certificates and can see the trees on your digital forest page, and your team gets data on trees, species, locations and survival for CSR, ESG or internal reports.

Planning a team day specifically? See Employee Engagement. Running it as part of your CSR spend? See CSR tree plantation.