STL Neighborhood Foresters

In the unforgiving urban environment, simple issues can become death sentences for trees. Many urban trees decline before maturity; climate change adds even more stress. Growing the canopy requires we improve trees' living conditions and address causes of premature decline, a task too big for Forestry to tackle alone.

Our new program, Neighborhood Foresters, partners with the Forestry Division to provide residents gear, training and official permission to help care for city trees. Our shared goal is to enable Forestry staff to focus their skills on more technical tasks, while volunteers handle the routine care needed to improve the health and density of the urban tree canopy.

It is our eventual goal to expand Neighborhood Foresters throughout the City of St. Louis and beyond! Communities will benefit most if we work together to improve our urban forestry efforts across the STL metro region. We are excited to build community partnerships and demonstrate to residents ways we can support them in creating healthier, happier communities.