May 17, 2006 9:26 AM, from staff and wire reports

Coleman Natural Foods, the Golden CO-based natural meat and poultry provider, announced that nearly 300,000 trees are now being planted in eight states as a result of its 2005 efforts on behalf of The Coleman Eco-Project 2015.

This decade-long conservation program was launched on Arbor Day in 2005. Retailers either provided the Coleman Eco-Project 2015 tear pad in stores for consumer purchase or made a financial contribution to the program.

The goal of the project is to plant 20 million trees throughout the United States in 10 years. The United States Forest Service will match donations tree for tree and will also plant the trees. Coleman formed working partnerships with the US Forest Service and the non-profit organizations American Forests and American Farmland Trust. Education and training programs also will be undertaken to protect 50 million acres of working farms and ranches.