By Glore Ruiz
“Trees are just a constant source of inspiration and joy, but also a mystery when you wonder about how old they are; how long they've been here; how they got here; how the area looked when this tree first started growing.”
When Stephen Bybee began his work at Columbia’s Kiwanis Park in 2021, the park was filled with invasive bush honeysuckle. To remediate the state of the park, Stephen held work days for volunteers to aid in the honeysuckle removal. As the removal efforts succeeded, the park gained empty space that could be retaken by the invasive species, or it could be used for the planting of adaptive and beneficial native plants.
Stephen deliberately chose the latter and connected with Forest ReLeaf to acquire thirty native trees and shrubs for the park. The newly founded Missouri Conservation Corps hosted the planting event, and with the help of over twenty volunteers the new trees and shrubs were planted on the west side of Kiwanis Park on October 16th, 2022. Stephen had many aspirations for this planting. The tree planting started as a mission to restore Kiwanis Park, but as it developed, it also provided educational opportunities for the community while inviting people to green spaces. What resulted, as Stephen puts it, “was not only restoring the native environment, but also restoring the community.”
The newly planted white oaks and dogwoods will not only add beauty to the area, but they will also prevent the return of an invasive species, all while creating a plentiful food source for wildlife. As these trees continue to grow, so will Stephen’s hope for Kiwanis Park. Most recently he hopes the native trees will inspire others to embrace native plants and encourage them to spend more time in local green spaces.
“Imagine the kids in your congregation growing up learning all the native plants in your area and how to take care of them, and being able to experience the divine in nature,” says Christopher Grundy.
Since 1999, the Ferguson Volunteer Flower Department has been caring for two gardens in downtown Ferguson.
With Forest ReLeaf’s help, Park Commissioner Peg Crockett is adding more trees to Hunter Park, giving the local community more opportunities for play and leisure.
I am Elijah Belz, the Field Operations Coordinator for Forest ReLeaf. I am a certified arborist and the primary person in the field for Forest ReLeaf, maintaining roughly 1000 trees planted in the St. Louis City, and maintaining our equipment our equipment used to maintain our trees! This job is a catch-all position that carries different responsibilities during the different seasons. Fall and spring are our planting, tree delivery, and inventory season; winter is our pruning, mulching, and planning season; summer is our watering season where we lead a crew of interns getting into the green industry.
My background is bicycle repair! I was in that industry for almost a decade, including running a bicycle repair shop, before taking a job with a tree planting organization in Atlanta. From there I moved to an edible landscape company. I became certified as an arborist while working at Forest ReLeaf this February! Trees rock, bikes are cool too.
De’Nonna Jones graduated from Knox College in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, driven by a commitment to environmental justice and community-based conservation. Since then, she has gained hands-on experience working across a range of green spaces throughout the St. Louis region, focusing on the care, restoration, and accessibility of urban natural areas. She began her journey at Tower Grove Park, where she developed a deep appreciation for public green spaces as vital community resources, before moving into a stewardship role with the Missouri Botanical Garden in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway. She now serves as the Stewardship Crew Coordinator at Forest ReLeaf. De’Nonna is passionate about creating inclusive pathways into environmental work and empowering tree lovers and emerging conservationists to see themselves as stewards of their communities. Through her work, she strives to strengthen connections between people, trees, and places in urban environments.
After 17 years in the non-profit and public sector, Jess remains committed to mission-driven work that tackles the challenges facing our communities. Their career began with a year of service as an Americorps St. Louis Emergency Response team member, responding to natural disasters and performing conservation projects. That foundation of service led to roles supporting the arts, affordable housing, mental health, and grassroots housing advocacy in St. Louis. During this journey Jess has worked to center the value “nothing about us, without us.” They do their best to ensure that the voices of people who have been marginalized guide the strategy and execution of work that honors their lived experiences. When they aren’t working, Jess is out paddling, hiking, working in their garden, or building something.
