By Glore Ruiz
When children plant trees they often grow up to tell the story of the tree they nurtured and its growth. This experience of planting trees creates a deep connection with nature from an early age. Premier Charter School in South St. Louis has had a unique opportunity to connect families to nature through tree planting events. The school wanted to increase the amount of shade near the Early Childhood Center and tackle the need for storm water retention on the large campus. Recognizing the value trees could bring, they partnered with Forest ReLeaf to build a hands-on tree planting experience for their students and families.
These plantings were led by one of the school parents, Adam Graham, and made possible through the school community. Parents, teachers, and students have planted a combination of 80 oaks, sycamores, bald cypress, and redbuds over the past two years. As part of the process, students learned about the types of trees they were planting, the benefits trees provide, and how to care for the trees once planted. They also named the trees and painted rock name tags that they placed near the trees. These artifacts will reinforce the stories they are building and will share in the future.
Every project comes with challenges. In this case, ongoing watering has proven to be the biggest challenge. To ensure the trees are stewarded for the long term, the parents created watering sign-up sheets. With the support of the community and the school’s beautification committee, the trees have had a healthy survival rate. This early, hands-on science experience not only connects kids and their families to nature, but encourages a sense of ownership and respect for the trees around them.
“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.
