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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. 

Apply Now:

Individual Application
Group Application
Volunteer Schedule
Track Your Hours

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.