# Trees Knoxville

> Knoxville nonprofit planting trees, training Volunteer Foresters and giving away trees to grow the city's canopy

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

## Facts

- Type: Nonprofit
- Scope: Local
- Headquarters: Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- Founded: 2016
- Website: https://treesknoxville.org
- Volunteer sign-up: https://treesknoxville.org/volunteer-with-us/
- Donate: https://treesknoxville.org/support/
- Events calendar: https://treesknoxville.org/events/
- Countries where they plant: United States
- Activity types: Urban forestry (primary), Tree adoption & giveaways, Tree care & maintenance, Education & advocacy
- Trees on record: 2,090 (larger of latest cumulative figure and sum of annual figures; trees planted or distributed)

## About

Trees Knoxville is a 501(c)(3) founded in 2016 to preserve and expand the urban tree canopy on public and private land in Knoxville and Knox County, Tennessee. It runs volunteer Community Tree Plantings at parks, schools, greenways and bus stops, free Tree Adoption giveaways for residents, Canopies for Campuses plantings at Knox County Schools, and a free four-week Volunteer Forester training course each fall and spring. It helped produce Knoxville's Urban Forest Master Plan (adopted by the city in December 2024) and received a $1.7 million USDA Forest Service Inflation Reduction Act grant in 2024; in 2025 it planted 895 trees and gave away 450.

## Programs

- **Community Tree Planting** — Urban forestry: Volunteer-driven, professionally guided plantings with local governments, faith organizations, businesses and neighborhood groups at parks, campuses, greenways, streetscapes and bus stops. https://treesknoxville.org/events/
- **Tree Adoptions** — Tree adoption & giveaways: Free trees for Knoxville residents to plant on their own property, with species selection and care guidance; the organization says it distributes over 500 trees a year. https://treesknoxville.org/event/ciderandsaplings/
- **Volunteer Forester Program** — Education & advocacy: Free four-session training each fall and spring in planting, pruning, mulching, watering, tree-risk and invasive species identification; graduates lead planting events. https://treesknoxville.org/volunteer-forester/
- **Canopies for Campuses** — Urban forestry: Free trees and hands-on planting days for students, parents and teachers at Knox County Schools.

## Metrics

> Note: Trees Knoxville's 2024 figures differ slightly between documents: the 2024 annual report infographic says 350 trees were given away, while the Form 990-EZ for the same year says 395 trees were given away; the 990-EZ figure is used here. The organization publishes no cumulative total since its 2016 founding.

| Metric | Year | Value | Cumulative | Program | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---:|---|---|---|---|
| Trees planted | 2024 | 350 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://treesknoxville.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Trees-Knoxville-Annual-Report-2024with990.pdf) 2024 Annual Report: 'During the 2024 planting season, just over 350 trees were planted across 10 events'; Form 990-EZ 2024 Part III: 'Trees Knoxville planted 350 trees at schools, parks, bus stops, and along streets' |
| Trees planted | 2025 | 895 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://treesknoxville.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Trees-Knoxville-Annual-Report-2025.pdf) 2025 Annual Report, Impact Report page: 'In 2025, 895 trees were planted, 361 by volunteers across 17 events'; 51 of the 895 went to four Knox County Schools |
| Volunteers engaged | 2024 | 392 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://treesknoxville.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Trees-Knoxville-Annual-Report-2024with990.pdf) 2024 Annual Report: '350 trees were planted across 10 events with the help of 392 volunteers. That's over 900 hours'; Form 990-EZ 2024: '392 volunteers were engaged in the tree planting events' |
| Volunteers engaged | 2025 | 564 | no (that year) | organization-wide | Self-reported | [source](https://treesknoxville.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Trees-Knoxville-Annual-Report-2025.pdf) 2025 Annual Report: '361 [trees] planted by 564 volunteers across 17 events, contributing more than 1,692 hours of service' |
| Trees distributed | 2024 | 395 | no (that year) | Tree Adoptions | Self-reported | [source](https://treesknoxville.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Trees-Knoxville-Annual-Report-2024with990.pdf) Form 990-EZ 2024 Part III (appended to the 2024 Annual Report): '395 trees were given away'; the report's own infographic says 'We provided 350 saplings to Knoxville residents through free tree giveaways' |
| Trees distributed | 2025 | 450 | no (that year) | Tree Adoptions | Self-reported | [source](https://treesknoxville.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Trees-Knoxville-Annual-Report-2025.pdf) 2025 Annual Report: 'We provided 450 saplings to Knoxville residents through free tree giveaways' ('450 TREES ADOPTED') |

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.

## Upcoming events

- 2026-11-14 — South Haven Neighborhood Tree Planting! (Volunteer planting), Knoxville — register: https://treesknoxville.org/event/south-haven-volunteer-canopy-planting-day/ — https://treerm.org/events/trees-knoxville/south-haven-neighborhood-tree-planting-2026-11-14-2.md
- 2026-11-14 — South Haven Neighborhood Tree Planting (Volunteer planting), Knoxville — register: https://treesknoxville.org/event/south-haven-volunteer-canopy-planting-day/ — https://treerm.org/events/trees-knoxville/south-haven-neighborhood-tree-planting-2026-11-14.md
- 2026-11-21 — Cider and Saplings: Fall Tree Adoption (Tree adoption / giveaway), Knoxville — register: https://treesknoxville.org/event/ciderandsaplings/ — https://treerm.org/events/trees-knoxville/cider-and-saplings-fall-tree-adoption-2026-11-21-2.md
- 2026-11-21 — Cider and Saplings: Fall Tree Adoption (Tree adoption / giveaway), Knoxville — https://treerm.org/events/trees-knoxville/cider-and-saplings-fall-tree-adoption-2026-11-21.md

## Links

- instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treesknoxville
- facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreesKnoxville/
- youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@treesknoxville

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