Through our programs, Trees for Missoula seeks to improve our City’s environment, build community, and connect Missoulians with the natural world and each other.
Trees for Missoula strives to increase public awareness regarding the importance of trees in the urban environment, including their Climate, environmental, economic and community health benefits. We also offer instruction on proper planting, pruning and watering techniques.
Some of our programs include:
Tree equity + neighborhood tree ambassador program
Public community classes
Community plantings
Community pruning workshops
Native plant restoration
Tree Ambassadors
In Spring 2024, the Trees for Missoula program received a two-year grant from the Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation (DNRC) to do community outreach, surveying, education, and tree planting in three of Missoula’s underserved neighborhoods. This summer, we launched our Tree Ambassadors program to connect with community residents regarding tree planting, education, and advocacy. We engaged with approximately 100 residents in Franklin to the Fort and North/Westside neighborhoods. In June 2025, we planted our first ten trees in the Northside neighborhood, and we’ll be planting more this fall. If you’d like to get involved with these efforts, fill our our Volunteer Form.
Volunteer Tree Planting
"THE BEST TIME TO PLANT A TREE IS 20 YEARS AGO. the second best time is TODAY."
Want to plant a tree for our community? Trees for Missoula (TFM) would like to help!
TFM has partnered with the City of Missoula Urban Forestry Division (UF) to provide tree-planting opportunities for volunteer citizens. Each fall, we plant trees in neighborhoods or city parks.
LEARN HOW TO PROPERLY PLANT A TREE AND HELP YOUR COMMUNITY!
We are currently planning our tree planting events for early October. If you or your group would like to plant trees for Missoula, please complete the Volunteer Form. If you are interested in learning more about the proper planting and maintenance of trees, you can find it here.
Volunteers in Pruning
After proper planting, formative pruning is one of the most important steps in tree maintenance. Formative pruning young trees enables them to develop functional and durable branch structures that in maturity will be free from major physical weaknesses and able to support the flow of nutrients and energy reserves.
The 2015 Missoula Urban Forest Master Management Plan identifies formative pruning as a need that can be addressed by a trained volunteer corps, so in October 2015, Trees for Missoula (TFM) and City of Missoula Urban Forestry Division (UF) trained the first class of Volunteers in Pruning (VIPs).
VIPs are trained to use proper pruning techniques, the five-step method and optimal pruning timing. In exchange for training, VIPs are asked to prune city trees for 25 hours (no time limit). UF certified arborists guide VIPs in pruning weekly during the late fall and winter months.
Since 2015, volunteers have pruned 1,765 city trees. If you are interested in pruning, please complete the Volunteer Form.