Volunteer Programs
Our organization would not be possible without the contributions made by each one of our volunteers. You believe in our mission, further
our goals, and play a major role in the success of our programs. Like our staff and board, you are passionate about the urban forest and
are committed to protecting, restoring and celebrating our trees!
Our volunteers apply their unique skills and take initiative to help Forest ReLeaf of Missouri achieve its mission
of Planting trees and enriching communities. There are often many opportunities throughout the year to get involved with Forest ReLeaf, whether you want to volunteer or simply attend a project. These opportunities might include off-site planting projects, helping set up at various Forest ReLeaf events, assisting with outreach at our booths at outside events or teaming up with other local environmental organizations. Mark your calendars and plan to join us as a volunteer or attendee!
CommuniTree Nursery Volunteer
Young trees require lots of attention. The Forest ReLeaf Nursery and Arboretum, our community tree nursery, currently holds over 20,000 trees. With just two foresters overseeing care of the nursery, we depend on volunteers to help us plant, water, and weed these trees on Wednesday mornings, Friday mornings, and occasional Saturdays. Both individuals and groups are needed at peak times of the year, particularly during spring potting.
Outreach and Education
Represent Forest ReLeaf of Missouri at community events and engage with folk about the importance of urban forests, native plants and community tree stewardship. Share your knowledge and inspire others to take action! Help collect community stories at our planting events and support our school outreach through sharing your knowledge and inspiring others to take action!
TreeKeeper Corps
The TreeKeepers Training Program is a free crash course in basic arboriculture offered each spring over the course of five weeks. Through in person classroom instruction participants learn about our city trees and how to care for them from Forest ReLeaf staff, certified arborists, and other experts. The program provides coverage of tree issues we commonly encounter, ranging from urban soils to signs of stress and how much of a difference stewardship can make. “Graduation” to full fledge TreeKeeper requires course completion, as well as 15 hours of applied knowledge in the form of volunteer work in your community.
Missouri ForestKeepers Network
Since 1996 this self-paced citizen science program has been encouraging Missourians to contribute to statewide understanding of forest health through observations of changes in tree health in their own community. From recording dates of seasonal phenomena, to invasive species management, to seed collection, this program is alll about building skills to understand and implement what a healthy Missouri forest looks like.
Nursery Docent
Help lead educational tours for visiting corporate, community, and school groups through our arboretum and nursery grounds!
Office Support
Assist ReLeaf Staff in our office or remotely with general admin tasks such as data entry, file management, and proof reading!
Event Assistant
Event assistants help staff sign in participants, answer questions, and keep things running smoothly during public facing events.
Other
Have special skills you want to flex for forestry? Whether you write, do photography, GIS or visual arts, we’d love to hear it- drop our volunteer manager an email to pitch an idea.
Share Your Enthusiasm
We encourage our volunteers to follow us on our social media platforms and share their favorite moments from our events, tours and work days- find us on Facebook and Instagram @ForestReLeaf
Help lead educational tours for visiting corporate, community, and school groups through our arboretum and nursery grounds! Event assistants also help staff sign in participants, answer questions, and keep things running smoothly during public facing events.
