Rachel Carter Vermont Public Relations

Middlebury, VT – American Forests will plant 13,618 trees in Northern California resulting from Woodchuck Hard Cider’s Facebook Global ReLeaf campaign. Woodchuck Cider committed to planting two trees for every Facebook fan gained during Earth Week 2011 by donation to Global ReLeaf – American Forest’s tree planting initiative. Woodchuck Cider’s eco-friendly Facebook and Twitter fan bases embraced the tree planting efforts and Earth Week saw 6,809 new Woodchuck Cider Facebook fans.

Woodchuck Cider, located in Middlebury, Vermont, first collaborated with American Forests during Earth Week 2010 resulting in 8,432 trees planted in Northern California. This year 13,618 trees will be planted.

“California remains an area in an incredible need of assistance from years of recent wildfires and we have made it a priority to continue to support an area so similar to our own backyard of Vermont,” states Bret Williams, Woodchuck Cider’s President and CEO. “Our fans in both states enjoy outdoor activities as local economies rely heavily on forests and outdoor recreation – where would we be without trees?”

Global ReLeaf – the tree planting arm of American Forests – is committed to restoring forest ecosystems across the country and around the globe. Global ReLeaf has planted trees in every state in the nation, and in more than 20 countries around the world. Nearly 40 million trees have been planted since the program began in 1990, and the goal has been set to bring that total to 100 million by the year 2020.

Tree planting will begin this summer and continue throughout 2011.

Woodchuck Cider’s Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/WoodchuckCider.

About American Forests
American Forests is a non-profit conservation organization focused on restoring and protecting urban and rural forests.  Founded in 1875, the organization has served as a catalyst for many of the most important milestones in the conservation movement, including the founding of the U.S. Forest Service, the national forest and national park systems, the creation of the modern environmental movement, and literally thousands of forest ecosystem restoration projects and public education efforts.  Since 1991, American Forests has planted nearly 40 million trees in forests throughout the U.S. and beyond, resulting in cleaner air and drinking water, restored habitat for wildlife and fish, and the removal of millions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere. Learn more at www.americanforests.org. 

About Woodchuck Hard Cider
Woodchuck Hard Cider is a hard cider handcrafted with apples.  First crafted in Proctorsville, Vermont in 1991, Woodchuck Hard Cider now operates in a state-of-the-art cidery in Middlebury, Vermont.  The popular Woodchuck Amber is the original style produced and still today the recipe remains the same. That’s not to say some things haven’t changed over the years, Woodchuck now has an extended line up of styles and has grown distribution from one country store in VT to across the United States. Greg Failing, the original creator of the recipe and the cider maker to this day, combines both art and science with his own personal touch in crafting this award winning cider. The Woodchuck family ensures exceptional quality and premium taste are met in every small batch before any bottle or keg leaves our back door. A naturally gluten-free beverage, Woodchuck Hard Cider is also a favorite in food pairings and a key ingredient in a variety of recipes.  More information is available at www.woodchuck.com.