Toyota Material Handling USA Inc (TMHU) will make a donation to the National Arbor Day Foundation for every Toyota 8-Series forklift it delivers in 2007.

In turn, the Nebraska City-based non-profit foundation will plant a tree in a national forest damaged by fire or other natural causes.

TMHU, of Irvine, California, and the environmental education organisation announced the partnership on November 16.

"Beyond pushing the bounds of product innovation, one of Toyota's goals is to support environmentally appropriate and socially beneficial initiatives contributing to a cleaner environment," said Shankar Basu, TMHU president and chief executive. "The National Arbor Day Foundation is helping us achieve this."

TMHU unveiled the 8-Series in the US on November 16. Other units of Toyota Motor Corp launched the 8-Series in Japan in early September and Australia in early November (Forkliftaction.com News #285).

TMHU said the 8-Series was the only forklift to surpass US Environmental Protection Agency 2007 emission standards and meet the stringent 2010 emission standards of the California Air Resources Board (CARB). TMHU expects CARB certification in December.

Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Inc's Columbus, Indiana manufacturing plant has received an Indiana Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence at a pollution prevention conference in Carmel, Indiana. The site employs more than 800 people and manufactures a majority of the Toyota forklifts sold in the US.