Tree Trust
A Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Connects and Protects Us All
The Tree Trust works with community members to grow and maintain the urban tree canopy throughout Boulder County. Our goal is to connect, educate, and empower our communities by providing resources to grow and care for the density and sustainability of urban trees.
In 2025 alone, we trained more than 80 volunteers through our Tree Tender Trainings, and planted or distributed 914 trees, 887 native shrubs and perennials—bringing meaningful environmental improvements to schools, parks, and neighborhoods across Boulder County.
Programming
Community Engagement
The Tree Trust spearheads a variety of community engagement opportunities, including Tree Tender Trainings; planting projects with a variety of individuals and groups; education initiatives and climate summits in local schools; natural disaster recovery projects; and so much more.
Feel like connecting with your community and doing good for the planet? Check out our event calendar to get involved today!
Tree, Sapling, and Native Plant Giveaways
The Tree Trust hosts tree and sapling giveaways to ensure that trees are planted and cared for properly all across Boulder County, including on private property. Giveaways are hosted with the intentions to expand and enhance our urban canopy, as well as allowing community members the opportunity to get involved in climate stewardship- in their very own backyards. Giveaways are also hosted to restore private land after natural disasters, such as the Marshall Fire.
Growing Shade
The PLAY Boulder Foundation Tree Trust has partnered with Boulder County, the City of Lafayette, and the city of Longmont to launch Growing Shade: an urban forestry expansion program.
Growing Shade is a pilot program focused on increasing tree canopy in local neighborhoods to help reduce extreme heat, improve air quality, and enhance climate resilience and public health. These neighborhoods were selected using Boulder County's Urban Tree Canopy Assessment, which highlighted areas within the county with the greatest need for tree planting initiatives.
Paid Stewardship Opportunities
PLAY Boulder’s Tree Trust offers two paid stewardship opportunities. The first is the the Community Forestry Corps (CFC), which empowers local youth to care for trees planted by our Tree Trust while acquiring knowledge about the power of nature to combat climate change, giving back to the planet and our communities, and learning about potential career pathways in urban forestry and nature-based climate solutions.
The second is our new pilot Neighborhood Foresters program, designed to provide year-round stewardship of trees and landscapes within four select neighborhoods within the City of Boulder.
Community Partners
