Trees Forever

Growing community forests: Trees Forever helps communities grow and care for their community forests by providing grant funding with friendly and knowledgeable assistance to volunteers and leaders who are interested in planting and caring for Trees and natural areas. Trees Forever provides assistance with disaster preparedness planning and recovery. The massive recovery effort that began after the august 2020 derecho that struck Iowa and Illinois continued in 2023. 5,158 Trees have been planted on street rights-of-way and in parks in the city of cedar rapids since the derecho. Nearly 11,700 affordable Trees have been distributed to residents for private land replanting. Education and volunteer outreach programs are also progressing. Trees Forever planted approximately another 2,000 Trees in the city of des moines in 2023. Trees Forever will continue to lead the replanting effort, particularly in cedar rapids, the city with the greatest number of tree loss and damage. Trees Forever is helping prepare teenagers in Iowa for the future workforce through growing futures. Through this youth employment program, high school students in des moines and cedar rapids are hired to plant and care for public Trees. In 2023, a total of 49 students were hired with 15 students returning for consecutive seasons. They planted 2,745 Trees, watered 28,560 Trees, and provided maintenance to 3,219 Trees while also receiving valuable training and enhancing their workplace readiness. Trees Forever also provides grant funding to encourage community forest improvement: in 2023, 150 projects were awarded funding in communities to plant Trees. Overall, more than 10,700 Trees were planted in community forests.

Planting a healthier environment: Trees Forever works with landowers who are committed to planting native Trees and prairie plant species to carry out conservation practices and promote land stewardship to reduce soil erosion, improve water and soil quality and provide wildlife and pollinator habitat. During 2023, 21 acres of buffers and conservation plantings were funded, with 1,133 Trees, seedlings and shrubs, and 5 lbs of prairie seed planted with our guidance.

In 2023 Trees Forever educated people of all ages to care for Trees: Trees Forever provides informative programs and hands-on learning experiences that build participants' knowledge of tree care, environmental stewardship, and conservation. In 2023 through the our woodland legacy educational program, Trees Forever engaged over 500 participants over 4 webinars on various topics related to conservation and tree planting and care. Through the our woodland legacy hands-on planting event, Trees Forever engaged 5 volunteers to assist with planting over 50 seedlings at a cedar rapids park. Finally, 73 people graduated from the treekeepers program, which trains volunteers to support urban forestry in their hometowns.

Landscaping roads & trails: Trees Forever works with volunteers and leaders to make our communities better places for current and for future generations. We do this by leading planning that results in successful projects. In 2023, 10 communities participated in the visioning process and more than 1,541 volunteers participated more than 2,002 volunteer hours were logged.