Company Profile - American Forest Historic Tree, Co.

Growing up in the heartland of America , Jeff Meyer was always in touch with nature. At age 5 Jeff planted his first tree with his parents, a sugar maple, on the boundary between his neighbor's yard. Today that tree stands over 50 feet tall and accents the landscape with brilliant fall foliage.

As a boy, Jeff learned to hunt and fish, spending many hours with family and friends in the wooded Iowa countryside. At age 9, he collected walnuts with his uncle and planted stands of black walnut trees in public areas around Amana.

Graduating from Vanderbilt University in 1980, with a major in Business and History, Jeff spent two years in sales and located in Jacksonville , Florida , with his wife, Anne. Wishing to work closely with nature and the outdoors, Jeff saw a need to be able to relocate large trees rather than having them cut down for development. He purchased a tree spade and started the Big Tree Company at age 23, with a company slogan- "We Move Big Trees."

Jeff and Anne had a son, Forest , in 1984. When Forest was 6 months old, the family visited Jacksonville 's Treaty Oak Park. There, the toddler collected acorns from the massive live oak tree. Later, Jeff germinated the acorns and planted one of the seedlings in the yard, where the nearly 20 year-old tree has flourished to a present size of 50 feet.

Planting this tree - the direct offspring of the original "parent" Treaty Oak - inspired Jeff. He began to formulate an idea where others could have trees with a historic legacy. As a member of American Forests, he learned of a book titled Famous & Historic Trees , published by American Forests in recognition of the nonprofit organization's 100th anniversary. The book depicted trees that were the last living witnesses to lives and events figurative in American history.

In 1988, working with American Forests representatives, Jeff visited parks like Gettysburg , Manassas , Andersonville and others. National Park Service personnel assisted in identifying trees that dated back to the historic events using documents, journals, diaries and photographs. Seed was collected from those original trees and taken back to Jacksonville to be germinated. This commenced the Famous & Historic Trees project.

In 1996, Jeff designed a new, environmentally friendly, greenhouse facility. The Historic Tree Nursery's greenhouse utilizes an ebb and flow irrigation system without tapping aquifer water. The gutter-connect design also allows for rainwater collection, keeping over 50,000 trees growing without any significant water consumption from the Florida aquifer.

Capitol Hill Liberty Tree, September 26, 2002

A national initiative to inspire community tree-plantings was initiated with the planting of a historic Liberty Tree on Capitol Hill, Washington , DC . The Liberty Trees For America campaign is a partnership of the National Fund for the U.S. Botanic Garden, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and American Forests .

Disney Dreaming Tree Arboretum, September 21, 2002

Jeff inaugurated the Disney Dreaming Tree Arboretum in Marceline , Missouri , on the 100th anniversary of Disney's birth. The tree that inspired Walt Disney's characters stands on a small farm in the town where he grew up.

World News Tonight With Peter Jennings, April 30, 2002

ABC's salute to National Arbor Day featured the Historic Tree Nursery's Jeff Meyer as well as dedicated historic tree planter, Ken Roberts. The two talk about their love of nature and history and how historic trees celebrate both.

Martha Stewart Living, March 2002

Jeff joins Martha Stewart at George Washington's Mount Vernon where the two pick tulip poplar seeds from the old trees. Jeff instructs Stewart in how to propagate and grow direct-offspring historic trees.

TreeStories - Public Television Series, Spring 2002

A 13-part 30-minute series developed for public television, the shows take Jeff Meyer on adventures to America's largest trees, haunted trees, and tree houses, to name a few. The series began airing nationally in the spring of 2002 following its premier at the Environmental Film Festival.

The Late Show With David Letterman, July 23, 2001

Jeff "The Tree Guy" Meyer, presented David Letterman with a tree grown from seeds collected in Letterman's hometown of Broad Ripple, Indiana. The David Letterman Tulip Poplar shades the Atlas Grocery Store where Letterman worked as a bag boy in his youth.

Operation Silent Witness, May 2001

A partnership between American Forests , the VFW Foundation, the World War II Memorial Foundation and corporate sponsors, Wal-Mart Stores and The Scotts Company, culminated on Memorial Day, 2001. Over 2,300 VFW Posts led community observances honoring WWII veterans by planting Eisenhower Green Ash trees.

America's Historic Trees - From George Washington's Tulip Poplar to Elvis Presley's Pin Oak, Jeffrey G. Meyer with Sharon Linnea - Houghton-Mifflin, March 2001

Seventeen historic trees are explored in detailed historical depictions. Each chapter provides instructions for growing a tree of each species from seed or cutting.

Palace of Versailles , Paris , France , March 2000

Over 10,000 trees were uprooted in December 1999 at the Palace. Jeff and American Forests representatives were invited to plant historic trees at the Palace, many of which originated there and were gifts between America and France .

"Silent Witnesses: America 's Historic Trees", PBS Documentary, airing nationally - Spring 2000

Jeff and WJCT-TV spent three years developing this one-hour documentary, a view of American history through the perspective of historic trees. Narrated by actor, James Whitmore, the film was selected to premiere on the opening night of the Environmental Film Festival, Washington , DC , March 2000. Recipient of a 2001 Telly Award.

The Hermitage, Nashville, Tennessee , April 1999

Suffering severe storm damage to its trees a year earlier, Jeff conducted a tree-planting event to restore the original trees at Andrew Jackson's estate.

Johnny Appleseed Tour, Massachusetts to Indiana , April 1999

Jeff traced the life of John Chapman from his birthplace to his gravesite. Thousands of trees were planted along the routes traveled by Johnny Appleseed in a reenactment of his life. Sites included the Brooklyn Botanic Garden , the National Arboretum, Harvard University and arboretums.

Guideposts Magazine, January 1999 Issue

The inspiration for the Famous & Historic Trees project was depicted in this publication.

People Magazine, December 1998 Issue

In a feature article entitled "Trees Company," the Famous & Historic Trees project and Jeff Meyer were introduced to millions of readers.

Living Classrooms, National Project, September 1993 ~ April 1997

Jeff conducted tree-planting events with students across the country, creating Living Classrooms at schools and communities. Many were dedicated to recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and were sponsored by corporations such as Georgia Power Company, Interstate Power Company, BankAmerica Mortgage and others.

Over 40,000 children learned about the heritage of America 's trees at the White House where Jeff and American Forests affiliates participated in the Annual Easter festivities.

Jeff, students and members of Congress gathered to plant the National Living Classroom near the Kearney Monument , beginning a nationwide program memorializing recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor.