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Tag: Northeast MO

The (Wo)man Who Planted Trees

When Pam Franke looked at her subdivision she saw a lack of young trees in the canopy. With Project CommuniTree, she’s planting the future for her neighborhood.

Trash for Trees: Greener and Cleaner Neighborhoods

Aaron Doghogne has harnessed the power of community to clean and green St. Louis City. With the help of volunteers, 24,000 pieces of trash were collected and 200 Forest Releaf trees were planted in STL.

Coahoma Orchard

Coahoma Orchards is a collection of native fruit bearing trees that Dail Chambers acquired from Forest ReLeaf. With the help of community members the trees were planted and are now growing in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood in North City.

Big Yellow Truck

John knew hauling buckets of water would be labor intensive and unsustainable long-term. He began to fundraise for a watering truck and “people really came through for big yellow.”

Mti Wraps @ Fairground Park

Can public art promote and protect trees? North City artist Dail Chambers explores new ways of community engagement.

Community Creating Canopy at Compton Heights

After completing a tree survey of his St. Louis City neighborhood of Compton Heights, Steve Spence organized an 80-tree planting with his neighbors to replace missing street trees.

Elijah Belz
Field Operations Coordinator

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.

Amy Moscowitz
Outreach Coordinator

Amy Moscowitz joined Forest ReLeaf in 2026 as Outreach Coordinator, bringing experience in community engagement, volunteer coordination, and outdoor education. She is passionate about creating meaningful experiences that help people connect with nature and each other. She is excited to activate the City Tree Farm and engage the St. Louis community in hands-on environmental work.

Kate Pichon-Hellmann
Office Assistant

Kate joined Forest ReLeaf in November 2025 with a background in education, ministry, community organizing, and local government.  Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Kate’s love of nature began at an early age while building tree forts, foraging for blueberries, and exploring the Alaskan wilderness.  Kate has a B.A. from Loyola University Chicago, a M.Div. from the Jesuit School of Theology, and a M.S. in Urban Ecology and Sustainable Planning from Unity College.  Kate is passionate about environmental sustainability, native plants, and sustainable urban planning.  She brings her passion and skills to support the great work of the Forest ReLeaf team.

De'Nonna Jones

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.

Jess Underwood
Finance & Operations Director

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.

April Strelinger
Engagement Coordinator

April joined Forest ReLeaf in the summer of 2026. After transitioning from a career as a professional actor for over 20 years, she followed her passion for health and nature receiving a Board Certification in Holistic Nutrition and an Advanced Community Herbalist Certification. She uses her deep love of the natural world and storytelling  to create community engagement at ReLeaf through the Forest Keepers Network. Her work is rooted in a deep belief that stories, food, and nature are powerful ways to build belonging and stronger, greener communities.