Tree plantings 

Get notified of future planting opportunities 

To be notified of future planting opportunities, contact Shane DeGroy at shane.degroy@hennepin.us or 612-543-3697.

Tree planting monitors

Hennepin County has planted many new trees at county facilities and along county roads in the past few years. Volunteers can earn hours by monitoring these projects and reporting back about any issues.

Monitoring expectations

Hennepin County will provide you a map of your monitoring site.

Tree planting monitors are expected to visit their site at least once a month during the planting season — April to October — to monitor for any tree health issues. Complete the form at the bottom of this web page every time you visit your site.

When your monitor:

• Prioritize safety during your site visit. Always stay on sidewalk side of tree.
• Have your tree steward card available during site visits.
• Familiarize yourself with the site and planting map.
• Visit all of the tree included on your site map during each site visit.
• Complete the form at the bottom of this web page in a timely manner every time you visit your site to report site conditions and any tree issues.
• Record your monitoring hours on U of M Tree Stewards website.

Adopt a site

See the list of available sites (PDF).

To learn more or to adopt a site, contact Jen Kullgren at jen.kullgren@hennepin.us or 612-596-1175.

Post a volunteer opportunity

If you know have a tree related volunteer opportunity, email Jen Kullgren at jen.kullgren@hennepin.us to have it posted here.

Hennepin County and the University of Minnesota will offer occasional advanced training opportunities. We will also post upcoming tree steward classes, forestry workshops and training opportunities.

Upcoming training opportunities

Tree steward volunteers are required to volunteer 10 hours every year to keep their active tree steward status. Volunteers can fulfill this requirement by attending a Hennepin County sponsored tree event or another tree related event within Hennepin County hosted by a different organization.

To report your hours:

• If you attend a Hennepin County sponsored event, please sign in at the event as a tree steward. Your hours will be reported to the University of Minnesota by Hennepin County.
• If you attend a tree-related event in Hennepin County sponsored by another organization, please fill out this form to record your hours. [Fill out this form to record your hours]

Course materials

Access the course manual and presentation on the U of M Minnesota Tree Care Advocate website.

Hennepin County Tree Steward Manual (PDF) 

Resources

• Tree planting instructions (PDF) from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)
• A beginner’s guide to Minnesota trees (PDF) from the University of Minnesota Extension
• Decision guide for managing ash trees (PDF)
• ISA tree care topics and related brochures
• All you need to know about community gravel beds (PDF) from the University of Minnesota

Canopy is a quarterly newsletter to share updates and news about trees and forestry in Hennepin County. This newsletter is intended to be a collaborative effort to share news, upcoming events, and resources.

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See the archived editions.