Taking Root

Trees are Always in Season

Since 2015, Taking Root has been inspiring and empowering everyone within an eight-county region to improve our unique and threatened tree canopy. We have protected and planted thousands of trees in low-canopy areas and underserved neighborhoods. We have conserved existing forests, promoted the benefits of healthy trees, and fostered stewardship of trees. 

Whether you want to save money on your energy bill, feel better physically or emotionally, or to prevent erosion, trees are the easiest and best way to accomplish all these things.

Taking Root's Board of Directors are local landscape architects, biologists, arborists, horticulturalists, engineers and professors who donate their time to the following initiatives: 

1. Cincinnati Public School (CPS) Outside. This year, in partnership with Green Umbrella, we are providing natural tree canopy to Outdoor Classrooms for CPS students. This initiative will provide students with outdoor learning experiences and environmental education while keeping them cool under the shade. 
2. Mini-grants. These grants are given to organizations and neighborhoods that demonstrate a need for tree plantings. We focus on underserved neighborhoods, erosion-prone zones, and riparian corridors along streams and rivers. Planting trees helps mitigate the harshest effects of climate change. To learn more, visit our Mini-Grant page.
3. Tree for Me. When funding is available, Taking Root distributes free, 5–6-foot trees to residents in targeted communities. We prioritize plantings in minority and low-income areas where tree canopy is low. Since 2018, we have planted 1500 trees in 22 underserved communities, bringing shade and joy all year round.
4. Tree Professionals Seminar. Every year, Taking Root hosts a seminar in December that provides continuing education credits for tree professionals across the region. Participation is virtual or in-person. Professionals and amateurs learn and network with like-minded folks. This year, the Seminar will be held on December 1st in downtown Cincinnati and the focus will be on threats to our trees from insects and invasive plants. For more information or to register, visit Regional Tree Canopy Professional's Seminar 2022
5. Great Tree Summit. Each February, we host the Great Tree Summit at a location within our 8-county region. This educational event is open to everyone and provides speakers, vendors, and opportunities to ask questions of the experts, network with other tree lovers, and have fun. Join us on February 25th, 2023, in Fort Thomas, KY.
6. RegisTree. This program allows us to monitor how well we are doing in our goal to plant 2 million trees — one for everyone in the region! If you want to help us reach our goal, visit RegisTree Program to learn about the program and register your tree.
7. Promote the benefits of trees. Board members and volunteers from Taking Root work to educate and inform everyone that our region needs more, and better protected, trees. We share the benefits of trees to homeowners, city officials, and the environment, health and energy sectors. For more information on how trees enhance our lives, visit Tree Benefits.

"Blessed are those who plant trees under whose shade they will never sit." 
Based on Indian Proverb