Trees of Hope documents the rapid deforestation of Africa and analyzes various solutions, such as shifting to solar energy and improving traditional stoves. It emphasizes the importance of reforestation, using the example of a village woodlot project in Niger, where foresters have exchanged their traditional role of warden for that of rural-development worker. The film, shot on location in Niger, Mali, Senegal and Nigeria, shows how people are taught to plant their own trees for firewood and construction material.