Nonprofit trains community leaders to fight climate change
Looking for a rewarding and fun way to act locally on climate issues? Want to work with your community to create a healthy, resilient future? The Park People’s Community Forester program offers people a unique opportunity to combat the impacts of the urban heat island effect by working with communities to plant and care for trees.
Aspiring Community Foresters enroll in a five-part course co-taught by The Park People’s staff and Denver Parks and Recreation’s foresters. Starting with an introduction to Denver’s urban forest and the many benefits of planting trees, Community Foresters then learn tree basics, including planting, pruning, and identification, through classes and hands-on field work. To increase the new Community Foresters’ impact, the course concludes with a session on leading volunteers, managing projects, and engaging communities. As a bonus, participants make new friends who will be working with them on future volunteer projects.
Upon graduation, the newly minted Community Foresters select volunteer activities that are the best fit for them. For some, that could mean wielding a pickaxe and a shovel to plant trees while others might prefer the less physically demanding option of canvassing neighborhoods to encourage residents to apply for low-cost trees available through the Denver Digs Trees program. Many volunteers enjoy leading enthusiastic volunteer planting crews, although those who prefer working on their own might choose checking on the health and progress of recently planted trees. The Park People runs a lean staff, and volunteers, including Community Foresters, show up in multiple ways both in the office and in the field. There are options for every skill set and ability level, and some individuals choose to focus their time in their own neighborhoods while others help in other places where trees are needed. But regardless of the options selected, volunteers help mitigate the envi- ronmental and public health impact of climate change while making communities more vibrant.
“The Park People’s staff includes knowledgeable and experienced urban foresters, but our small size means that Community Foresters get to play a significant role in helping us foster a healthy, resilient future for all,” explains Kim Yuan-Farrell, The Park People’s executive director. “Working together, our staff, Community Foresters, partners, and gen- erous supporters grow the urban forest necessary to lower neighborhood temperatures, reduce energy use, remove air pollutants, store carbon, and beautify our city!”
For anyone interested in registering for the Community Forester Course:
- Visit TheParkPeople.org or call 303-722-6262 for more details and to receive a notice when registration opens
- The course is held on one Saturday morning per month from February through July
- The course fee is $65 per workshop, but those who commit to volunteering for at least 10 hours during their first year as Community Foresters can pay only $25. Need-based scholarships are available for those facing financial hardship.Provided that they attend at least the Trees 101 session this year, participants unable to attend all five sessions in 2023 can finish the course in 2024
