Grow a community of urban forest champions 

This helps you identify and understand where change is needed by deciding what outcomes you’re working towards: 

• Consider starting with the issues that are important to local people and shape your ideas around these 

• Consider how to raise awareness and communicate your big idea in the areas you’re planning to work 

• Consider how to align your idea with other strategies and plans 

• Use the Tree Equity Score UK data to decide on priority locations and compare the tree cover in nearby neighbourhoods 

To help you do this, map both stakeholders and past projects to identify who and what might be missing. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of you and the people you’re working with. Recognise where you can all support what’s already going on. 

It might sound obvious, but it’s important to really take the time and get to know the key people and communities you’re partnering with. 

Think about being a generous partner, giving your time, resources, expertise, advocacy and physical materials where possible. This is especially important in marginalised communities where green spaces and green infrastructure (like trees) have been neglected. Make sure you have the right people with the right skills in place who understand that giving generously is not just a process to follow. It’s a principle to value that’s based on understanding the needs of people and places. 

Think about what extra training and skills everyone might need and where you can access these. 

Checkpoints 

• Do you have the required diverse set of skills across your partnership? 

• Have you got the right blend of technical knowledge and engagement skills? 

• Are you regularly checking your original idea as your partnership grows? 

• Are you meeting a genuine need? 

This is about communicating openly, mindfully and relevantly with different groups of people. This step can be scaled up or down depending on whether you’re planning a single planting event or aiming to increase canopy cover across your whole neighbourhood. 

• Work collaboratively to understand existing knowledge and interest and consider how you can build on this to support a developing urban forest 

• Talk to as many people as possible to gather ideas about how they want to improve their spaces 

• Employ co-design specialists to develop distinct choices with residents and community groups 

• Think carefully about how you present the big vision (format, content and communication channels) 

• Future-proof your plan by considering who will be responsible for what in the long term 

Think about whether you want to formalise your agreement or get something in writing. This can be useful if either partner is applying for funding or there are key responsibilities you need one organisation to maintain going forward. This can be a very simple agreement, for example you could just write down your mutual commitment or ask your legal team for support creating a Memorandum of Understanding together with any landowner consent that may be required. 

Good planning is the key to success. Think about the best times for your different activities. For example, a successful tree planting activity in the winter needs planning months ahead. Spring can be a great time to notice and appreciate trees. Summer is a good time to talk to people about the benefits of trees. Autumn and winter are the seasons to get communities involved in planting trees. 

Maximise the opportunities by reviewing what activities work well with partners and local organisations. Their expertise and experience can help guide your activity plan, and in return you should be transparent about what you’re doing and the reasons behind your decisions. 

Now that you’ve created community momentum, it’s time to put it into action with tree planting activities. Make sure everyone involved knows what’s expected from them, what they can expect from the experience and what happens next. Focus on ensuring your activity is inclusive and think about ways you can keep people involved beyond tree planting into your establishment activities. 

Birmingham TreePeople ran a series of post-planting events to keep the momentum of interest going. This included storytelling, writing poetry and poster competitions. 

Whoever owns the land will usually remain responsible for tree safety unless liability is formally transferred. But communities can continue to provide extra care for trees and increase their benefits, so think about creative and engaging ways to keep them involved.  

The Arboricultural Association offer helpful advice on watering young trees, and can even provide free “Please Water Me” tags. Tie your activity into what already works and what’s already in place locally. 

Birmingham TreePeople have dotted public watering cans with combination locks near trees they have planted, so individuals can boost any organised watering activity. 

Consider sharing ongoing responsibility with anchor organisations, community groups or key local people, and find ways to reward them for their ongoing time and commitment. This way you can ensure that uninterrupted support for your urban forest continues whilst you start another project in another area. 

Keep in touch with your contacts and think about what you can continue to offer, including training opportunities, advice on management or tools, and equipment. Direct them towards funding opportunities and publicly celebrate their work. Return as and when your forest needs further management to reduce the likelihood of it needing significant intervention and encourage proactive management.