Tree Trust

Results: In our nearly 45 years of service, we have: Provided job training and employment for 57,000 young people. Completed hundreds of park maintenance, landscaping and construction projects. Planted more than 100,000 trees and shrubs in schools, parks and community areas. Increased awareness and educated 115,000 students, teachers and community members about the importance of trees and green spaces to the health and vitality of a community.

Target demographics: We equip participants with training and hands-on experience through our Career Pathways, where promising young people, ages 14-25, can build sustainable and meaningful careers. We inspire people to plant trees in public, private, and residential areas, making our neighborhoods greener and creating positive change for generations to come.

Direct beneficiaries per year: Tree Trust served 274 youth and young adults during 2020 through our Career Pathways programs. Additionally, our Community Forestry initiatives engaged over 150 volunteers.

Geographic areas served: Twin Cities metro area

Programs: Since 1976, Tree Trust has served more than 57,000 individuals through our employment and education programs, supplying them with practical tools and skills to enter the workforce while improving the community environment. Our Career Pathways program helps young people ages 14-25 residing in the Twin Cities Metro Area, many of whom have barriers to education, career training, and employment. Through programming, they achieve self-sufficiency via employment readiness training, paid work experience, case management, financial literacy development, and industry-recognized credential obtainment. Tree Trust also transforms lives and landscapes through our Community Forestry initiatives. By planting trees in public, private, and residential areas, students, Career Pathways Program participants, local residents, and community volunteers can learn about the environment and create positive change for generations to come. Our Community Forestry programs include Community Tree Plantings, Municipal Tree Distributions, Learning with Trees programming at schools, education and outreach, and other urban forestry-based projects such as inventories, urban forest management plans and young tree stewardship. Tree Trust Landscape Services provides professional tree care and landscape contracting. This social enterprise supports our programs, advances the greening of our community, and creates opportunities for green careers. Together with tree care industry partners and Apprenticeship Minnesota, Tree Trust launched a registered apprenticeship program in our Landscape Services department. An earn-as-you-learn initiative, the registered apprenticeship is a successful model to build a pipeline of highly skilled arborists in a high-demand industry.