Use our Network Member Search Tool to find groups in which you can volunteer within your area. Don’t have a Network Member in your area? Look for civic and community organizations like:

• • UC Master Gardeners
  • Sustainability / Environmental Stewardship Groups 
  • Civic Organizations/ Clubs (e.g. Rotary / Kiwanis)
  • Resource Conservation District (they may help connect you to groups in your area)
  • Local Community Garden Groups / Urban Farms and Orchards
  • Environmental Justice Groups
  • Neighborhood Associations / Home Owners Associations
  • Heritage or Preservation Societies
  • California Volunteers Community Climate Action Day Events
  • California Volunteers – Find an Opportunity Search Tool

Tree protection regulations typically do not stand alone, with the exception of street tree ordinances, but are often incorporated within other ordinances. Regulations are often created by amending existing zoning ordinances. 

While researching your local ordinances and policies, it is also helpful to know which agencies oversee public trees in your city/county, etc. If you have questions, you will know which departments and staff to contact.

Common Types of Urban Tree-Related Ordinances/ Policy Documents 

• Street Tree Ordinances: Contains provisions regarding planting, maintenance, and removal of trees within the rights-of-way. A street tree ordinance may contain provisions for dealing with private trees when they impact public interest or pose a public hazard.
• Tree Protection Ordinance: Protects or conserves desirable trees, tree canopy, or trees with historical significance on public and private property. Some tree protection ordinances require a permit before protected trees can be removed, encroached upon, or pruned.
• Landscape Ordinance: Establishes required landscaping provisions, such as number, placement, and types of suitable plants or trees. May require trees or landscaping in parking lots or buffer yards.
• Buffer Ordinance: Protects amenities (views) of adjacent property owners in commercial and residential developments and protects water quality in streams and other water bodies. Establishes specifications for acceptable noise buffers, visual buffers, and riparian buffers.
• Urban Forest Tree Inventory or Assessment: The information collected in a Tree Inventory or Assessment will summarize the current status of the urban forest providing historical information and land use changes, environmental assessment, the current canopy cover assessment and tree inventory, current management practices, responsibilities, plans policies and regulations, and community focuses values and issues.
• Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP): A roadmap that creates a shared vision for the future of a tree canopy. It’s a tailored plan that guides tree care professionals to proactively and effectively manage and provide for maximum, long-term benefits to the community. The plan provides recommendations based on the analysis of detailed inventories and includes additional components or documents, such as budgets, implementation schedules, policy and procedure manuals, standards and specifications, public education and monitoring plans, and existing ordinances. Annual work plans and budgets can then be developed based on the long-term UFMP.
• Tree Planting List / Tree Palette: Cities often develop recommended tree species lists or tree palettes for street trees/parks/etc. This may be in a municipal ordinance, a policy manual, or similar.
• Climate Action Plan: May include tree planting/canopy goals.

Build support among friends, neighbors, and community groups. Network and bring together natural allies. Think about how you can find tree champions in your community in private, public and nonprofit sector. Look for tree advocates.

Examples of Organizations to Connect with about Trees:

• urban tree nonprofit or community group – (find a Network Member organization near you)
• public health organizations
• tourism bureau
• business improvement districts
• parent-teacher associations
• watershed protection groups
• business associations
• garden clubs
• Audubon chapters
• water conservation districts
• universities/community colleges
• utilities
• conservation corps
• workforce development organizations

Starting Your Own Community Group or Nonprofit 

If you don’t have an urban tree nonprofit or community group in your area, you may think about starting your own. Below are helpful resources to help you get started.

• Build a Stakeholder Coalition (Vibrant Cities Lab)
• Fiscal Sponsorship (National Council of Nonprofits)
• How to Start a California Nonprofit (CalNonprofits)

Always take the opportunity to talk with policymakers like your City Council / Board of Supervisors / State Legislators / School Board Members, etc. Build relationships and make personal contact with City/County staff who work with trees in your community. You might also consider signing up for your local elected official’s e-newsletter or social media channels to stay informed about local events, town halls, and other community meetings you may want to participate in.

Share about why trees are a valuable part of the landscape in your neighborhood. It’s important that you are able to share data that demonstrate the economic, environmental, social, and public health benefits that trees provide.

Come prepared with the message that matters most to your audience (see tips and resources below). 

Tips and Tools for Developing Talking Points by Audience Type

• Learn what matters most to your audience and frame your message/argument.
• Make the Case for Trees! Develop talking points and a plan.
  • Arbor Day Foundation’s Urban Forest Advocacy: Growing Possibilities Guidebook is a great resource to get you started!
  • The California Urban Forests Council developed a great toolkit for advocacy called Trees Are Essential – which has tools to help make your voice heard, including sample talking points and sample letters, and advocacy guides and resource videos.
  • Read Make the Case for Action has many great tips and resource links for developing your communication plan. (Vibrant Cities Lab)
  • Check out Tree Planting Campaign Guide Making the Case for Trees (p.3) – Arguments to Make by Stakeholder Type. They have outlined key arguments by stakeholder type as well as statistics you can cite as evidence for these claims as well as links to download articles and studies that support the data.
  • Check out California ReLeaf’s 2021 Webinar, Bring Advocacy Home, which reviews advocacy readiness, whow to influence your local representative, lobbyiong vs. advocacy and rules and limitations nonprofits have with lobbying.
•  Show the Need! 
  • Maps/Graphs help visualize data and are helpful in showing the need.
  • There are many data tools and maps that can show how more urban trees can benefit your community.
  • Data Tools that can help you show the need for urban tree canopy:
    • iTree Tools
    • CEJST – Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool
    • CalEnviroScreen
    • Tree Equity Score
    • NatureScore
• Make Data Relatable with Storytelling
  • One way to make data relatable is to show how it might affect your audience personally. People remember stories much better than statistics. If you can connect a story with visualized data to emphasize a key point – the more memorable, it will be to your audience.

Make Personal Contact with Policy Makers

• Set up appointments to talk to elected officials.
• Take advantage of meet-and-greet events in your community. 
• Invite your mayor, city council members, and commissioners to your tree-planting events and give them an opportunity to speak. Include them in pictures and stories in the media.
• Remember to thank them for any work, policy decisions, or efforts they have made to help urban trees.

Make Personal Contact with Municipal Staff: Set up appointments to talk to staff who may have a role in tree care. Remember to thank them for their work caring for the urban forest and serving the public. Invite department heads to your tree-planting events, and if appropriate invite them to speak.

• City Arborist
• Parks Director
• Public Works 
• Sustainability / Resilience Officer
• Planning Departments
• Public Health
• Transportation

Helpful Resources

Public Policy: How Law and Policies are Influenced (Arbor Day Foundation)

Webinar Recording: Learn Over Lunch – Advocacy and Action: Clean & Green Pomona’s Approach to Addressing Environmental Inequities (California ReLeaf)

Webinar Recording: Bring Advocacy Home (California ReLeaf)

Possible Types of Urban Property Owners

• Private Property Owner (Residential, Commercial, Industrial)
• Municipal Governments (City or County Government)
• School Districts
• Special Districts (examples: Parks & Recreation Districts, County Water Districts, Cemetery Districts, Community Services Districts)
• Utility Providers
• State Agencies
• Federal Agencies
• Indigenous Communities / Tribal Nations

• Public Works
• Parks & Recreation
• Planning and Community Development
• Transportation
• Community Services
• General Services 
• Facilities / Maintenance
• Special Districts: Cemetery District, Community Services District, Parks District, etc.

Additional Resources:

County Structure and Powers Explained

City Departments Explained

If you are having trouble finding information, you may want to contact the city or county departments that manage trees and ask where you can find ordinances or other tree-related plans, policies, or reports.

• City Level – Visit your city’s website and look for information about your city council. Depending on the city, a council member may represent a district or represent the city at large. Most city website’s provide contact information or a contact form for each council memeber.
• County Level – Visit your county’s website and look for information about your Board of Supervisors. There should be information about county supervisors and which districts they represent. Most county website’s provide contact information or a contact form for each member of the Board of Supervisors.
• State Level -You can find your State Senate and Assembly Representative by visiting https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/

Advisory Bodies that commonly deal with public trees at the local level:

• Parks & Recreation Commission 
• Climate Action Committee
• Planning Commission
• Tree Advisory Board
• Street Tree Committee 

• Speak at a public meeting during the public comment period for an item on the agenda. Sometimes, a city or county clerk may ask you to complete a speaker slip that includes your first and last name and the agenda item you wish to comment on.
• e-Comment on an agenda item. Depending upon the government website you may be able to submit e-comments through the website interface.

• Threats to the Urban Forest (disease, drought, winter storms, pests, development)
• Developing or adopting tree ordinances or planning documents like Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP), Tree Inventories, Urban Forest Assessments, etc.
• Fully fund and staff urban and community forestry-related work in municipal departments.
• Enforcing existing tree ordinances or zoning codes related to tree protection.
• Addressing environmental inequities – such as prioritizing tree planting and community investment in underserved areas.
• Prioritizing the work and progress of Urban Forest Master Plan recommendations like urban canopy goals, a sustainable planting program, and the proactive management of public trees.

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit is subject to restrictions on lobbying activities. The information below is intended to be general guidance. We recommend organizations seek legal guidance relative to their advocacy or lobbying activities to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local lobbying laws.

IRS guidelines state that a 501(c)(3) may engage in some lobbying activities, but too much lobbying activity can result in the loss of tax exemption status if it is considered a “substantial part” of its activities. The IRS has tools to assist 501(c)(3) organizations in measuring their lobbying activity, the substantial part test, and the expenditure test. All tax-exempt organizations must follow both federal tax law and any state and local lobbying laws that apply to their work. Understanding what type of lobbying activities trigger reporting and registration requirements is important. 

The IRS defines lobbying as a communication intended to influence legislation. Legislation includes action by Congress, any state legislature, any local council, or similar governing body with respect to acts, bills, resolutions, or similar items (such as legislative confirmation of appointive office), or by the public in referendum, ballot initiative, constitutional amendment, or similar procedure.  It does not include actions by executive, judicial, or administrative bodies. An organization will be regarded as attempting to influence legislation if it contacts or urges the public to contact members or employees of a legislative body for the purpose of proposing, supporting, or opposing legislation or if the organization advocates the adoption or rejection of legislation.

Advocacy Activities Not Considered Lobbying by the IRS

Many advocacy activities are not considered lobbying under IRS guidelines.  For example, organizations may conduct educational meetings, prepare and distribute educational materials, or otherwise consider public policy issues in an educational manner without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status. You can view a complete list of permitted activities by viewing the IRS Publication 557.

Activities Not Permitted by 501(c)(3) Organizations

• Cannot use government funds to lobby
• Cannot publically endorse or oppose candidates (at any level)
• Cannot raise funds for candidates
• Cannot make campaign contributions either in cash or in kind
• Cannot post partisan political messages on social media

Organizations need to be careful not to give the appearance of endorsing or opposing a specific candidate–especially during an election year.

Resources:

IRS – Charities and Nonprofits / Lobbying Rules

Practical Guidance: What Nonprofits Need to Know about Lobbying in California – Bolder Advocacy: A Program of Alliance for Justice

California Advocacy Resources – Bolder Advocacy: A program of Alliance for Justice

Worry-Free Lobbying for Nonprofits – Bolder Advocacy: A program of Alliance for Justice

501(c)(3) Advocacy Basics – Lobbying 101 – Advocacy & Communications Solutions

Urban Forest Advocacy: Growing Possibilities – Arbor Day Foundation

Public Policy: How Law and Policies Are Influenced  – Arbor Day Foundation

Webinar: Bring Advocacy Home – California ReLeaf hosted a webinar about advocacy readiness for individuals and nonprofits

Advocacy Toolkit – Council on Foundations