# Tree Trust

> Twin Cities nonprofit pairing youth job training with community tree plantings and municipal tree sales since 1976

Source: https://treerm.org/org/tree-trust · Updated 2026-11-08 · Data license: CC BY 4.0 (https://treerm.org/about#license)

## Facts

- Type: Nonprofit
- Scope: Local
- Headquarters: St. Paul, Minnesota, United States
- Founded: 1976
- Website: https://treetrust.org
- Volunteer sign-up: https://treetrust.org/volunteer-events/
- Donate: https://treetrust.org/donate/
- Events calendar: https://treetrust.org/volunteer-events/
- Countries where they plant: United States
- Activity types: Urban forestry (primary), Tree adoption & giveaways, Tree care & maintenance, Education & advocacy
- Trees on record: 7,491 (larger of latest cumulative figure and sum of annual figures; trees planted or distributed)

## About

Tree Trust was incorporated in St. Paul, Minnesota on March 16, 1976 as Twin Cities Tree Trust, founded in response to Dutch elm disease and youth unemployment. Its Career Pathways programs (Summer Youth Employment Program, Branches and YouthBuild) give young people aged 14 to 28 paid work experience, while its Community Forestry division runs volunteer community tree plantings, Learning With Trees school plantings, Minneapolis Green Zones and Commercial Canopy planting initiatives and discounted municipal tree sales and giveaways in some 20 Twin Cities suburbs. A Landscape Services social enterprise funds the mission. In 2025 it reported 7,491 trees planted at 39 community plantings with 602 volunteers and 302 young people trained.

## Programs

- **Community Tree Plantings** — Urban forestry (1991–present): Public volunteer plantings in parks, boulevards and neighborhoods across the Twin Cities, including the Minneapolis Green Zones and Minneapolis Commercial Canopy initiatives and emerald ash borer replacement work with the City of Saint Paul; registration runs through Eventbrite. https://treetrust.org/non-profit/community-forestry/tree-planting-initiatives/
- **Municipal Tree Sales and Giveaways** — Tree adoption & giveaways (2006–present): Spring and fall discounted tree sales and giveaways for private property owners run with about 20 Twin Cities municipalities (Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Edina, Woodbury, Vadnais Heights and others); the Minneapolis sale began in 2006. https://treetrust.org/non-profit/trees-for-sale/
- **Learning With Trees** — Education & advocacy (1992–present): School-based tree planting and environmental education program, begun at Central High School in St. Paul in 1992; 8 schools hosted it in 2025. https://treetrust.org/non-profit/community-forestry/
- **Career Pathways** — Education & advocacy (1977–present): Paid training and workforce development for young people aged 14 to 28 (Summer Youth Employment Program since 1977, Branches, Tree Trust YouthBuild since 2006) in landscaping, arboriculture and the skilled trades; more than 55,000 individuals mentored to date. https://treetrust.org/non-profit/career-pathways/

## Metrics

> Note: Tree Trust's annual report gives 7,491 trees planted and 602 volunteers for 2025; its Form 990 for 2025 describes the Community Forestry programs without tree counts. The 302 young people trained are paid program participants, not volunteers. A cumulative lifetime tree total is cited in press coverage (over 700,000 trees per a 2024 Star Tribune editorial) but was not available from an organization source that could be opened and is not recorded.

| Metric | Year | Value | Cumulative | Program | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---:|---|---|---|---|
| Trees planted | 2025 | 7,491 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://treetrust.org/wp-content/uploads/flipbook/13/flipBook.html) 2025 Annual Report flipbook (linked from the Annual Reports page), p.3 impact panel: '7,491 Trees Planted', '39 Community Tree Plantings', '21 Municipal Tree Distributions', '8 Schools Hosted Learning With Trees' |
| Volunteers engaged | 2025 | 602 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://treetrust.org/wp-content/uploads/flipbook/13/flipBook.html) 2025 Annual Report flipbook, p.3: '602 Volunteers', '2,768 Hours Volunteered'; the IRS Form 990 for 2025 (Part I line 6) reports the same 602 volunteers |

Confidence: self-reported is the organization's own published figure; independently verified means a third party confirmed it; estimated means TreeRM derived it and the note says how.

## Links

- x: https://x.com/TreeTrust
- instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treetrustmn/
- facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreeTrust
- linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tree-trust/
- youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TreeTrustMN

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