The album became an international commercial success. In December 1995, it was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for 300,000 copies sold in the United Kingdom. In August 1996, it reached double platinum for 600,000 copies sold. Its greatest success was in the United States where in February 1996, it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling one million copies. In the following six months, a further one million copies were sold. In March 2000, "The Memory of Trees" was certified triple platinum for selling three million. In November 2008, "Billboard" reported the album had sold 2,397,724 copies in the United States according to figures tracked by Nielsen SoundScan.