Community tree stewardship guide

21-10-2025

We found that establishing new relationships and networks helps you identify who else is active in your community, and where there’s energy and momentum:

• Find the community organisers who share your aspirations
• Research other local community groups that are championing greening (e.g. Friends of Parks groups and climate action groups)
• Make connections with local groups that don’t necessarily focus on trees, but do understand the issues
• Going forward you can build long-term meaningful relationships by focussing on shared interests and create tactical partnerships that support one another.

Start by understanding where your personal vision overlaps with the community vision for your neighbourhood to find the common ground. It could be more shade, a greener canopy or homes for wildlife.

Now you can determine some clear goals and objectives. Begin at a hyperlocal level with one neighbourhood or a small collaborative project (e.g. planting a handful of trees).

Your objectives should focus on delivering what people want from trees and be for the benefit of all. Whether that’s improving air quality, shading and cooling or beautifying an area, tree stewardship can help build social connections, increase people’s physical and mental wellbeing, and encourage skill sharing.

It’s important to have a good working relationship with your local authority. In our experience it helps to start by getting to know who they are, how they work and what you can offer them:

• Attend local meetings and get to know your local councillors
• Familiarise yourself with your local authority’s departments, goals, priorities and how they currently work
• Sign up to newsletters and follow them on social media to hear about opportunities
• Learn how trees are planted in your local area (e.g. what is the process, who is involved, how many trees are planted each year, survival rate of trees over the first few years, and what’s behind this, and are local people involved in the process?)
• Be clear and direct about what you’re asking for
• Pinpoint how you can add value and benefit local people – using the Woodland Trust’s Tree Equity Score map and available local authority data
• Demonstrate how you can support or complement the local work they’re already doing, especially at a time when budgets, resources and capacity is limited
• Ask a local organisation with an established contact for an introduction if needed
• Keep the conversation open and honest so everyone involved knows what to expect

The partnership between you and your local authority can be mutually beneficial for everyone involved. Our relationship with Lewisham Council is unique and it’s a solid relationship that has been nurtured over many years, building trust and influence on both sides.

Here are some real-life examples:

How we benefit
Our local authority takes care of procurement and management, including ordering the trees, holding the contracts with suppliers and contractors, managing the health and safety and risk management, storing the trees on their site before planting and allocating a portion of their annual tree budget towards this initiative. They can also consider the work in context of the long-term plan for the street and area, such as new building developments, utilities works and changes to traffic measures.

How our local authority benefits
In return, we save our local authority money by providing in-kind services that they would otherwise have to contract out. Our volunteers are involved in the whole process, from engagement and consultation (including scanning sites ahead of planting to help determine suitable locations) to citizen science initiatives (where local people annually audit trees and record valuable information) to regular maintenance (including weekly watering, formative pruning and tree health checks). As well as saving the council money, this level of attention to detail ensures that over 95% of the trees we plant survive.

We fundraise for the council too, bringing in millions of pounds toward planting trees on local authority land and ensuring their survival.

We also provide resources by acting as a ‘community forester’; a role that connects the public to the council and helps communication flow between the two. We are a very public facing organisation with a good reputation that prides itself on responding quickly to residents and developing its planting programmes based on residential feedback, helping to harbour good feeling between the public and their local authority.

We offer all sorts of volunteering roles that can be tailored to suit people with different skills, interests and available time. From ad hoc roles like summer watering to ongoing roles like Area Reps who work with residents and local groups to organise new planting.

First, think about what to say to attract volunteers:

• Encourage people to connect with nature on their doorstep
• Inspire and empower them to improve their local area
• Clearly communicate the skills, experience and time needed
• Explain the different roles available and what impact they’ll make
• Give the option to start small before making a longer-term commitment
• Highlight the personal development and team building benefits

Next, think about where to say it:

• Promote volunteering opportunities through your networks
• Share details about what you need and why on local WhatsApp groups
• Use your own social media, newsletters, leaflets and website
• Attend in-person community events
• List events on Eventbrite and roles on the Royal Voluntary Service
• Approach local residents, community organisers and local charities who share your vision to see if they will share your messages through their channels

Our volunteers are happier and stay with us longer when we prioritise their wellbeing and development. Many of our Tree Care volunteers and Area Reps have been regularly contributing their time for years now, and they are fundamental to our success.

Think about giving back – offer training and education opportunities, networking, qualifications, food and drink, expenses, skills development and social events.

Think about showing value – design a visual chart to show how everyone’s roles fit together and how their contribution is making a positive impact to your goals.

Think about regular support – meet face-to-face to make sure you’re both happy with how the role is going, what’s expected and the level of commitment.

Think about being flexible – let people develop the role in their own way and feel a sense of empowerment and autonomy.

Think about sharing knowledge – we offer peer-to-peer learning and expert training from our tree care consultant to share knowledge and skills.

Think about personal investment – upskill and train local people to ensure your volunteer sessions are as accessible and inclusive as possible.

Whether you’re talking with volunteers, residents, community groups or your local authority, make sure you always communicate in a way that’s clear and inclusive so everyone involved knows what’s going on.

Good communication is also about being caring and engaged, listening and acting on queries quickly and being generous with the tools and support you share with people.

Here are some of the different ways we communicate:

• An automated email service linked to the weather forecast to encourage tree watering as needed
• Monthly newsletter with regular ‘Tree Care Corner’ advice section for volunteers and watering requests
• WhatsApp groups connecting residents to local volunteer groups and planting contractors to the council’s tree office
• Visual markings on trees being watered to avoid double-up e.g. a ribbon or handwritten messages on tree posts
• Free talks and webinars (e.g. Trees and Design Action Group, The Tree Council) and sharing this knowledge across your networks via peer-to-peer support
• Local walks to chat about what’s there, what’s missing and what you’d like to see
• Feedback forms where people can comment or raise concerns (our quick responses help build trust)
• Regular in-person and online meetings to share news and coordinate actions
  New volunteer information packs (including tips for undertaking street level consultations, crowdfunding advice, sharable infographics, written resources and training handouts).

The more tailored your funding applications are, the better. Look for grants that will fund community stewardship and tell a succinct story about the particular benefits you can offer.

Other things to think about:

• Who could you partner with in funding applications?
  – You could partner with the local council with them as lead applicant
  – Or you could partner with the local council with you as lead applicant (if it’s a grant only open to charities and community organisations)
  – Or you might also be able to partner with other charities or community organisations for grant applications

• Have you considered all your costs, including project management to coordinate local stewards and focus on community engagement and development? Over the years, we’ve developed a volunteering model for watering and maintaining our local treescape that saves the maintenance money that would otherwise go to external contractors. This money can now fund volunteer coordinators to engage and empower hundreds more ‘guardians’ and local people to care for their neighbourhood trees – multiplying the social benefits that planting trees brings.

Once your project is up and running, continue talking to local people about their ideas and concerns. This enables you to develop and refine your activities as you go. And to ensure you’re growing in the direction you all want to go, you can keep monitoring and assessing using creative evaluation tools like face-to-face conversations and interviews, group discussions, case studies and testimonials as well as capturing photos, videos and surveys.

Remember to share your results to show how you’re making a difference, keep sharing your message widely and be open about your successes and challenges.

• Moulsecoombe Forest Garden – small charity on the outskirts of Brighton connecting people with gardening, food, and nature in various ways.
• Valentines Park Forest Garden – thriving permaculture space created and cared for by volunteers from Transition Town Ilford.
• Forest Farm Peace Garden – garden and orchard in Hainault, London connecting people with nature and their community through mental health and environment programmes.
• Plot 163a & b – newly-established Forest Garden allotments in Hertford, offering workshops by request.
• Oxford Forest Garden – mature Forest Garden, more than 5 years old, with fruit and nut trees, currants, hedging and bog.
• Plymouth Tree People – promoting the benefits of trees in streets, parks, schools and public places, helping people plant more trees to create a greener, healthier and more beautiful city.
• More Trees Bath and North East Somerset – planting and growing trees with local provenance across the Bath and Northeast Somerset area.
• Forest Rising – scheme for young people at the heart of Plymouth & South Devon Community Forest, with workshops, training and events around foraging, planting trees, collecting seeds, tree after care and more.
• Tree Musketeers – volunteers growing, planting and caring for trees in Hackney, London.

• Bulwell Forest Garden – food growing, wildlife areas, a community orchard and outdoor kitchen on former disused land in the northern suburbs of Nottingham
• Bordesley Green Forest Garden – community food forest in Birmingham working to promote regenerative urban food production and community collaboration.
• Highbury Orchard Community – community orchard in south Birmingham with fruit trees, soft fruit and perennial herbs with wellbeing and nature sessions for families and adults.
• Birmingham Tree People – planting and establishing new trees in the city, advocating for all trees across Birmingham and working directly with communities for greater tree equity.
• Fruit & Nut Village – charity based in Birmingham, growing orchards and perennial food spaces, and working with local communities to develop a range of edible landscapes.

• The Northern Forest – caring for woodlands from Liverpool to Hull, with an ambition to establish at least 50 million new trees and deliver economic, health, nature and climate benefits to areas of greatest need
• St Nicks – tree and hedge planting, woodland improvement and wood meadow creation projects as part of Green Corridors York.
• York Tree Wardens – active volunteer group caring for trees in the local community.
• Community Forest Trust – supporting the work of organisations enhancing the environment and landscapes in the Northwest and beyond.
• Urban Forest – South Manchester-based community movement creating pockets of urban woodlands for wildlife.
• City of Trees – Community Forest charity in Greater Manchester, planting trees to benefit people, nature and planet.
• Seacroft Forest Garden – community green space in Leeds, created with a focus around growing fruit and vegetables.
• Mersey Forest – Cheshire and Merseyside’s Community Forest, growing and caring for trees and woods around cities, towns and villages.
• White Rose Forest – works with landowners, farmers and communities to plant trees across North and West Yorkshire.
• Forus Trees – workers co-operative and not-for-profit mitigating the effects of climate change and restoring biodiversity in the Calder valley and beyond.
• Baildon Tree Planting Partnership – tree planting across the town of Baildon in West Yorkshire, supported by Baildon Town Council and The Forest of Bradford.
• Yorkshire Community Woodland Society – facilitating community ownership and access to woodland, and managing woodland sustainably to enhance biodiversity.
• Bedford Fields Community Forest Garden – open access garden in Leeds, with a focus on forest gardening as an alternative to food production.
• Cleavley Community Forest Garden – local community hub in Salford offering health and wellbeing programmes delivered by social enterprise Incredible Education.
• Prestwich Clough Forest Garden – two-acre woodland north of Manchester, managed by Incredible Edible’s Prestwich & District community group.
• Fartown Forest Garden – group of local people who are planting trees and fruit for everyone to enjoy.
• Hendon Regenerative Culture Garden – several plots of allotment land in Sunderland cared for under Permaculture Ethics & Principles and managed for the wellbeing of local communities and wildlife.
• East Marsh United – community group increasing trees and greenery in the East Marsh of Grimsby.