Volunteer

How would you like to volunteer?

Friends of the Urban Forest welcomes volunteers all year, in all parts of our work, from planting to tree care. Spend a single Saturday morning with us, or join our star crew of frequent volunteers – either way we make it easy for you, and you’ll learn something about trees too.

Fill out our Volunteer Interest Form to tell us what you're interested in doing and we'll be in touch!

Learn more about our volunteer opportunities below.


Saturday Tree Planters plant trees year-round in a variety of neighborhoods. We welcome people of all ages and abilities (no previous experience is necessary). Plantings generally run from 9am to about 1pm, and often include coffee, donuts and a potluck lunch provided by neighborhood residents.

Thursday Tree Planters plant ‘replacement trees’ In basins left empty by trees that died. Again, we welcome people of all ages and abilities (no previous experience is necessary).

Planting Leaders are volunteers who have attained enough experience to be able to guide other volunteers at our planting events. Planting leaders receive a FUF t-shirt!

Tree Care Volunteers join our staff in making scheduled "house calls" to street trees during the critical first three years after they're planted. They assess the health of the trees, ensure that the supporting stakes and ties are sound, and prune the trees as needed.

Emergency Tree Care Volunteers are regular folks who donate some spare time to save small fallen or leaning trees in their own neighborhoods when FUF notifies them of a tree in need. FUF provides them with simple tools and training, and they use their own vehicles and work independently.

Photographers take pictures of our planting events, various tree species, and seasonal tree scenes for FUF to use in a variety of ways, such as on our web site or in our newsletters. We'd love to showcase your work!

Neighborhood Coordinators work closely with our Outreach Manager learning how to organize a planting in their neighborhood. They help their neighbors sign up to get low-cost, high-quality trees on their street. And neighborhood organizers get a free tree!

High School and College Interns commit to a regular schedule for a set period of time. Interns work closely with our outreach department, and are given projects that best suit their skills. At the end of a semester, students can put a start-to-finish neighborhood organization project on their resumes.

Group Opportunities: We love to host volunteer groups at our tree plantings and nursery work days when space is available. This is a great opportunity for companies and organizations to engage in team building and morale boosting activities while benefiting the environment. As with all our volunteer opportunities, we provide the tools and training.


To sign up for any of these opportunities, fill out our Volunteer Interest Form. To find out more, please email or call Volunteer Coordinator Derek Emmons at derek (at) fuf.net or 415-268-0772 – he would love to hear from you!