Tree Planting Event Toolkit

Step 1: Plan Your Event 6-8 Months Prior

Post Planting Tree Care Plan

• Develop a post planting Tree Care Plan with Property Owner Involvement
  • Tree Watering Plan – Weekly
  • Develop a Weeding and Mulching Plan – Monthly
  • Develop a Young Tree Protection Plan (to protect seedlings using  mesh or plastic tubing)- Post Planting
  • Develop a Pruning and Tree Health Monitoring Plan – Yearly during the first three years
  • For tree care planning tips please watch our ReLeaf educational webinar: Tree Care Through Establishment – with guest speaker Doug Wildman
  • We highly recommend you consider budgeting for tree care. Watch our Budgeting for Tree Care Success to help you with a grant proposal or for establishing a new tree planting program.

Planting Supply List

• Develop a planting supply list, here are some items to consider:
  • Hoe (1-2 per team)
  • Round head shovels (3 per team for 15 gallon and up trees, 2 per team for 5 gallon and smaller trees)
  • Burlap or flexible fabric to capture and lift backfilled soil (1 to 2 per team)
  • Hand trowels (1 per team)
  • Gloves (pair for each person)
  • Scissors to remove tags
  • Utility knife to cut away container (if needed)
  • Wood chip mulch (1 bag per small tree, 1 bag = 2 cubic feet) –  Mulch can typically be donated and delivered by a local tree care company, a school district, or a parks district for free with advanced notice. 
  • Wheelbarrows/pitchforks for mulch
  • Water source, hose, hose bib, or buckets/carts for trees
  • Wooden stakes and or tree shelter tubes with ties
  • Hammer, post pounder, or mallet (if needed)
  • Stepping Stools / Ladders, if needed, for staking trees
  • PPE: Helmets, eye protection, etc.
  • Traffic cones (if needed)

If the site has compacted soil, consider the following

• Pick Axe
• Digging bar
• Auger (Must be pre-approved via 811 permission)

Volunteer Planning

• Determine if you will use volunteers to plant trees
• Determine if you will use volunteers to care for the trees for the first three years and long-term, including watering, mulching, stake removal, pruning and weeding
• How will you recruit volunteers?
  • Social media, phone calls, emails, flyers, neighborhood listservs, and partner organizations (Volunteer Recruitment Tips)
  • Consider that some nonprofits might have the staff or a team ready to go. Some companies or municipalities will organize corporate work days or leverage their existing networks and contribute financially to your event
  • Determine type of volunteer roles needed i.e.- event set up, tree planting leaders/mentors, volunteer management like check-in/check out and liability waiver confirmation, event photography, tree planters, post event clean-up.
  • Create a volunteer communication and management plan, how will you have volunteers sign-up or RSVP in advance, how will you confirm and remind the volunteer of the planting event or tree care duties etc., how will communicate safety and other reminders (consider creating a website form, google form, or using online registration software like eventbrite, or signup.com)
  • Develop a plan for volunteer safety, ADA compliance comfort needs, policy/waivers, restroom availability, education about tree planting and the benefits of trees, and the who, what, where, when why of your event
  • Acquire a Volunteer Liability Waiver and determine if your organization or planting site/partner might have volunteer liability policies or requirements, forms, or liability waivers required. Please see our Sample Volunteer Waiver and Photo Release (.docx download)
  • Plan for the safety and comfort needs of volunteers and plan on having the following at the event:
    • First Aid Kit with gauze, tweezers, and bandages
    • Sunscreen
    • Hand wipes
    • Drinking water (Encourage volunteers to bring their own refillable water bottles)
    • Snacks (Consider asking a local business for a donation)
    • Clipboard sign in sheet with a pen
    • Extra Volunteer Liability Waivers for drop-in volunteers
    • Camera to take photos of volunteers working
    • Restroom accessibility

Step 2: Recruit and Engage Volunteers and Community

6 Weeks Prior

2-3 Weeks Prior

Step 3: Hold Your Event and Plant Your Trees

Volunteer Check-in – 15 minutes Prior

• Greet and welcome volunteers
• Have volunteers sign in and sign out to track volunteer hours
• Have volunteers sign a liability and photography waiver
• Check age or safety requirements i.e. closed-toed shoes etc.
• Direct volunteers to the location of restrooms, hospitality table with water/snacks, and group gathering location for the ceremony or where volunteer orientation will occur prior to the start of tree planting

Ceremony and Event

• Begin the Ceremony / Event Program (We recommend keeping the welcome message to about 15 minutes)
• Bring your speakers to the front of the event area
• Engage participants and volunteers and ask them to gather around for the start of the ceremony
• Thank everyone for joining
• Let them know how their actions in planting trees will benefit the environment, wildlife, community etc.
• Acknowledge grant funders, sponsors, key partners etc.
  • Provide the sponsor a chance to speak (duration recommendation 2 minutes)
  • Provide site owner a chance to speak (duration 2 minutes)
  • Provide the local elected official a chance to speak (duration recommendation 3 minutes)
  • Provide the Event Chair a chance to speak about event logistics and happenings, including hospitality/orientation needs, such as the restrooms, water etc. (duration recommendation 3 minutes)
  • Demonstrate how to plant a tree using your tree planting leaders – try not to have more than 15 people per tree planting demonstration and keep it brief
• Break volunteers into groups and send them to the planting sites with tree planting leaders
• Have tree planting leaders provide a tool safety demonstration
• Have tree planting leaders have the volunteers introduce themselves by stating their names and do a group stretch together before planting, consider having the group name their tree
• Designate 1-2 tree planting leaders to inspect each tree after planting to do a quality control check for tree depth and stake length, and mulching
• Designate someone to take photos of the event and gather quotes from volunteers and partners about why they are volunteering, what it means to them, what they are doing etc.
• When tree planting and mulching is complete, gather the volunteers back together to have a snack/water break.
• Invite volunteers to share their favorite part of the day and use the time to thank the volunteers and share or announce upcoming events or how they can stay connected i.e. social media, website, email etc.
• Remind volunteers to sign out to track volunteer hours
• Clean up site ensuring all equipment, trash, and other items have been removed
• Take pictures and videos at your event.
• Photography Tips:
  • View our How to Make Good Photos GREAT! webinar. Make sure to have all volunteers sign a photo release at check-in.
  • Take action shots (planting, mulching, watering, staking, etc.). – Think about close-ups and wide-angled shots. Avoid the backsides of people and try to get smiling faces.
  • Take organized group photos of all volunteers or tree-planting groups.
  • Take photos of special guests, sponsors, organized volunteer groups, etc.
  • Take photos of your ceremony – speakers with event day signage/trees line up in the background.
  • Take before and after shots of the tree-planting site

Step 4: After the Event Follow Up and Tree Care Plan