Organizations — corporate or nonprofit — should approach a tree planting event just as it would tackle initiatives central to their core mission. That means careful planning, crisp execution and established procedures for after-planting care and longer term maintenance.
Before
Successful tree planting doesn’t begin or end with digging a hole and putting a tree into it — especially if volunteers are involved. After identifying your location(s) and selecting your trees, you’ll want to:
- Recruit partners and volunteers
- Assure you have all permissions necessary to plant on the site
- Invite dignitaries, speakers and press
- Prepare for the event
Nuts and bolts. As with any volunteer-led activity, the sponsor must not only recruit volunteers and partners. Volunteers almost always need training and the tools to do the job; the event must be safe and fun for all those who participate. A checklist that will help you plan for “the day” can be found here.
During planting day
Training
Many communities have published guides for training community tree volunteers. The Green Seattle Partnership’s Forest Steward Field Guide — newly revised in 2024 — is one of the most comprehensive.
Advocacy
Often volunteers can be mobilized to act as advocates for tree equity. Casey Trees in Washington DC offers an Advocacy Handbook and training to help them succeed.
And the Girl Scouts have published a guide to to the why’s and how’s of tree planting that’s as useful for adults as it is for kids.
Supplementary Activities
Sometimes you’ll have more volunteers than you planned for — or fewer trees to plant than you expected. When this happens, it’s best to have plans for other activities that volunteers may enjoy.
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
|
Tree Tour |
Lead a group through newly planted or established trees around the planting area. Point out key features that identify that particular tree, fun facts, and explain the basics of tree biology. Programming could include specialists or trained volunteers in urban forestry, forestry, botany and other topics. Could be structured as a nature walk. |
|
Pruning |
Lead a group through tool safety and pruning newly planted or young trees around the planting area. This can include structural pruning or pruning of suckers at the base of the tree. Programming could be led by specialists or trained volunteers in urban forestry, forestry, botany and other topics. |
|
Top Dressing |
Lead a group through adding mulch, biochar, or similar organic top dressing young or established trees around the planting area. Point out how to use tools safely, how to apply the top dressing, and why top dressing is important to protecting the tree. |
|
Weeding |
Lead a group through removing weeds around young or established trees in the planting area. Point out how to use tools safely, what weeds to pull and why, and why weeding is important in protecting the tree. |
|
Watering |
Lead a group through watering newly planted, young, or established trees in the planting area. Point out how to use tools safely, how to water, and why watering is important to trees. |
|
Invasives Removal |
Lead a group to remove exotic invasive plants around newly planted, young, or mature trees around the planting area. Point out how to use tools safely, how to identify and remove the invasive plants, and why this is important to tree and ecosystem health. |