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Watching a Forest Grow: How Likes for Trees Became Atlassian Community's Greatest Traditions
A few days ago, I found myself doing something that probably many of us have done countless times over the years. I was reading a Community article, smiling at how useful it was, and instinctively clicked the (Like) button. Only afterwards did it occur to me why that gesture felt so natural it was July, and that meant Likes for Trees had quietly returned once again.
That moment made me pause and think about how much this initiative has become part of the rhythm of the Atlassian Community. Like many of us, I no longer associate July only with summer holidays or time between US and Europe Team events. I associate it with rediscovering forgotten articles, revisiting helpful answers from years ago, and noticing just how much knowledge, kindness and generosity is shared here every single day. For one month each year, we become a little more intentional about recognising one another, and somehow those thousands of small moments of appreciation grow into something tangible.
Trees.
This year we're celebrating another edition of Likes for Trees, and while looking back through the previous campaigns I realised something that hadn't really occurred to me before. The story of Likes for Trees has never actually been about planting trees. The trees are the outcome. The real story has always been about the people who make this Community what it is.
π± Every forest starts with a single seed
When the first Likes for Trees campaign launched in 2022, nobody really knew what to expect. The idea was wonderfully simple: encourage Community members to recognise each other's contributions, and through that collective appreciation help fund the planting of real trees. The goal of 30,000 trees sounded ambitious, particularly because there was no previous campaign to prove it could be done.
Looking back now, it's easy to forget that uncertainty. Today, Likes for Trees feels like it has always been part of the Community, but in that first year it was simply an experiment built on optimism. What happened next showed exactly what makes this Community special. People began revisiting articles they had forgotten, thanking authors whose work had helped them months earlier, discovering discussions they had never seen before, and recognizing the countless contributors who quietly make this space better every day.
By the end of the campaign, the Community had planted 30,074 trees, exceeding the original goal, and the Atlassian Foundation amplified that achievement by funding another 30,000 trees. That was the moment Likes for Trees stopped feeling like a campaign and started feeling like a tradition.
π If you've never explored the very first edition, it's well worth revisiting the 2022 announcement and the campaign wrap-up.
πΏ When a campaign becomes a tradition
The second edition, in 2023, proved something that was perhaps even more important than the number of trees planted.
Nobody needed an introduction anymore. People already knew what July meant.
Likes for Trees wasn't something new to explain; it was something people genuinely looked forward to. Once again, Community members answered questions, wrote articles, welcomed newcomers and recognised each other's work, but there was a noticeable feeling that everyone already understood why these small moments mattered. The campaign exceeded its goal once more, finishing with 31,925 trees, but I think the bigger success was seeing the initiative become part of the Community's identity.
Some traditions are created deliberately. Others simply earn their place over time. Likes for Trees had become one of them.
π If you'd like to revisit that journey, the 2023 announcement beautifully capture how quickly the tradition took root.
π² A forest grows because no tree stands alone
By 2024, Likes for Trees had found its own personality. The Tree Amigos edition couldn't have had a more fitting theme because, in many ways, it perfectly reflected how this Community works. Every article, every accepted answer, every helpful comment and every encouraging like is valuable on its own, but together they create something far greater than any individual contribution.
Of course, there were the legendary Super Planters, bigger goals and more ways than ever to participate. Those were exciting milestones, but they aren't what I remember most vividly.
What I remember is watching people celebrate one another. Someone receiving their first likes on an article. Someone rediscovering a solution written years earlier that still solved today's problem. Someone taking a moment to thank another member whose work might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Those moments eventually became 45,000 trees, but I suspect the atmosphere they created is what many of us remember most from that year's campaign.
π If you missed the Tree Amigos adventure, I highly recommend revisiting the 2024 announcement, the Tree Amigos story, and the campaign recap.
π³ Growing beyond expectations
When 2025 arrived, Likes for Trees no longer felt like an annual initiative. It felt like one of those traditions that simply belonged to July.
The challenge grew again, this time aiming for 50,000 trees. Only a few years earlier that number would have seemed almost impossible starting with some technical problems, yet the Community reached the goal before the campaign had even finished. Rather than ending there, Atlassian extended the challenge, inviting everyone to keep planting until the final day.
The final result 60,000 trees! became the largest single-year achievement in the history of Likes for Trees.
It would be easy to say that another record had been broken. I think something even more meaningful happened.
The Community demonstrated, once again, that thousands of tiny acts of appreciation can create an extraordinary collective impact.
π The 2025 announcement and the campaign updates are well worth revisiting to see how the Community kept growing long after the original goal had been reached.
π Looking back at the forest we've grown
Looking across all completed editions tells an incredible story.
|
Year |
Goal |
Trees planted |
|
π± 2022 |
30,000 |
60,074 |
|
πΏ 2023 |
30,000 |
31,925 |
|
π² 2024 |
40,000 |
45,000 |
|
π³ 2025 |
50,000 |
60,000 |
Together, those four editions have planted more than 196,000 trees, and with this year's campaign already underway, that number will soon grow even higher. Of course in between there were other Community initiatives where a tree could be planted.. so overall we already exceeded 260,000 trees..
Yet I don't think the numbers tell the most interesting part of the story. Behind every tree is a person. Someone who wrote their very first article. Someone who answered one more question before signing off for the day. Someone who shared years of experience so that another Community member could solve a problem more quickly. Someone who simply took a second to say "thank you" with a (Like)
Those moments are impossible to count, but they are the real reason this initiative has become so special.
π Thank you for helping this forest grow
Before finishing, I'd like to thank the people who have made this tradition possible.
To @Monique vdB and the incredible Community team thank you for imagining an initiative that has become one of the highlights of the Community calendar and for finding new ways to keep it fresh, engaging and meaningful every single year.
To the Atlassian Foundation and One Tree Planted, thank you for turning our everyday interactions into something that creates a real-world impact far beyond our screens.
And finally, thank you to every Community member.
Whether you've written an article, answered a question, organised an event, welcomed a newcomer, or simply taken a moment to recognise someone else's contribution with a (Like), you've helped shape what Likes for Trees has become. More importantly, you've helped build a culture where appreciation is just as important as expertise.
π³ The story isn't over yet
The best part about forests is that they keep growing. As you're reading this, another Likes for Trees edition is already underway. Goal again high - 60,000.. but yeah.. we can do it, right? :) Somewhere in the Community, someone is publishing their first article. Someone else is answering a difficult question that will help hundreds of people in the future. Another member is discovering an old solution that still works perfectly today.
And somewhere, another tree is waiting to be planted.
If this walk through the history of Likes for Trees reminded you of one of your favourite Community moments, I'd love to hear your story in the comments. And while you're exploring the Community, take a moment to recognise someone whose work has helped you whether that's this article or another good post that deserves a little extra appreciation.
After all, that's how this forest has grown for the past five years.
One small act of kindness at a time.
Happy Likes for Trees! π³π
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Mirek
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