Trees: Connecting Science, History, and Community
IGES contributed this essay to the iREAD 2026 Library Guide as part of the NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative project. Trees provide a versatile and engaging topic for library programs to easily branch into the 2026 iREAD theme: Plant a Seed, Read.
Developed by the Illinois Library Association, the iREAD program is adopted in other states including Alaska, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Southwest Kansas Library System, Washington, and Northern Lights Library System in Canada, and worldwide by the Department of Defense for libraries on military bases. iREAD is implemented in thousands of individual libraries across the country.