What does the term "TREE HUGGER" mean?

HI JEFF G. - I BELIEVE THAT IT REFERS TO SOMEONE WHO LOVES TREES, AND I PERSONALLY WOULD TAKE IT AS A COMPLEMENT! A PERSON WHO LOVES TREES ENJOYS NATURE AND THERE IS CERTAINLY NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT! WE TIE YELLOW RIBBONS AROUND TREES TO SYMBOLIZE AWAITING A LOVED ONES ARRIVAL HOME, " TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLD OAK TREE". IN MY OPINION WE SHOULD ALL TIE A RIBBON - MAYBE RED, WHITE, AND BLUE, TO SYMBOLIZE OUR CONCERN AND SAFE, HONORED, COMPASSIONATE, RESPECTFUL, RETURN FOR ALL SOLDIERS WHO ARE FIGHTING TO KEEP OUR COUNTRY, CITIZENS,FRIENDS AND FAMILIES, SAFE. WOULDN'T IT BE AN AMAZING SIGHT AND DEDICATED REPRESENTATION OF OUR UTMOST RESPECT AND CONCERN FOR SOLDIERS COMMITED TO US?! BEING AWAY FROM FREEDOM, FAMILIES, FRIENDS, GIVING UP ALL THE SIMPLE PLEASURES THEY LOVE TO KEEP ALL OF US PROTECTED IS THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. SOLDIERS ARE THE MOST SELFLESS INDIVIDUALS I CAN IMAGINE. TO BE A TREE HUGGER IS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF, AS IT SIGNIFIES THAT SOMEONE IS NOT ASHAMED TO CARE ABOUT TREES, NATURE, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE THINGS IN OUR ENVIORNMENT! WARM REGARDS, kmj

a person who loves the environment, aka a Green-peacer.

"Tree Huggers" are typically defined as those who go to extremes to protect the environment (i.e. chaining onself to a tree to prevent it from being chopped down) Most people use it as an insult, though some are proud of being referred to as one.

it means people who love trees and the environment, so they protect it.i'm one too, i hate it when people are bad to the environment.

It means you love nature and want to protect the environment.

Yes, someone who cares more about the enviroment, than about anything else. "Please dont drill in Alaska for oil, the poor tree's". See what I'm saying?

hi Geff, i asked my friends about that, they said its the poeple who are extremests about environment and nature, also they told me in some incidents they hug the tree to keep chopers from cutting it, i guess thats where this word came from.
AND they told me not to use this phrase, may be because SOME of them may take it as an insult.

i'm not one, but it's really greate what those poeple are doing.

It is kind of a general expression for a person who is an environmental activist.

you take a long nail and hammer it into the tree

well if your using that term to dis someone then of course...