In the early 1970s, the Western Regional Environmental Education Council (WREEC) and the American Forest Foundation (AFF) recognized the need for a balanced resource program for the nation's schools. These national co-sponsors brought together classroom teachers and natural resource professionals to develop Project Learning Tree materials.

Project Learning Tree is a grass roots volunteer program that works in conjunction with local schools, state agencies, and natural resource organizations. This joint undertaking has now spread to all 50 states, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan, Mexico, and Sweden.

AFF is a 501(c)3 charitable education foundation supported by grants from individuals, foundations and industries. WREEC is an organization of educators and natural resource professionals. The Society of American Foresters, National Association of State Foresters, the National Association of Professional Forestry Schools and Colleges, National Association of Conservation Districts, the World Forestry Center and the U.S.D.A. Forest Service are all national sponsors of PLT.

North Dakota sponsors are the North Dakota Forest Service, North Dakota Society of American Foresters, and North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts.

The promotion of the new Project Learning Tree materials is sponsored, in part, by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

All educational programs and materials are available without discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or handicap.