Tree Ambassador Project: Growing Rochester's Canopy and Community

The Rochester Tree Ambassador Project engages our community in activities that highlight the health benefits of trees and encourage the expansion of Rochester’s tree canopy. This project is an extension of a successful, and popular, public engagement initiative that was used to engage neighbors in a plan to increase tree equity in Rochester, NY. We have a small pilot grant and are looking to build a sustainable model for continued growth of the project beyond the grant. Donated funds will help us commit resources to growing and planting trees, engaging volunteers and donors, and building the community of people who believe in the power of trees in our lives.

Benefits of the Project

• Improved public knowledge of how trees positively impact health
• A growing community commitment to our urban tree canopy and tree equity
• Greater connection between neighbors, city government, and community organizations
• Research and evaluation of successful efforts to engage neighbors about community health and the environment

The project is built around organizing three groups of people. Our canopy council meets to guide the direction of the project and consists of any interested neighbor with a focus on beringing together a diverse coalition. Paid tree advocates will be hired to engage neighbors at community events and by door-to-door canvasing about the benefits of trees and how to improve Rochester’s urban tree canopy. Tree Champions are organizations, businesses, and individuals who commit resources to the project.

We are especially excited about the potential to grow and plant trees. A challenge we face is the availability of trees to plant and the resources to plant them in our city. We can address this challenge through our education, fundraising, and organizing activities.

We have also identified a number of individuals who are passionate about trees and their benefits. A challenge we face is that there are few ways for these folks t connect with each other and build collective power. Through the different elements of this project, we can address this by giving everyone an equitable way to participate and contribute.