Build community and canopy
TreesCharlotte partners with qualifying communities and organizations to host tree planting events called CommunityWoods.
These organized events can be a great way to build camaraderie, beautify our community and add to the city’s canopy.
Qualifying applicants must…
- Be located within Charlotte city limits
- Have capacity to plant at least 25 trees during the event
- Commit to watering and caring for the trees after planting
We consider many factors when selecting CommunityWoods applicants. If your application is approved, TreesCharlotte will help you create an amazing day with our CommunityWoods Toolkit!
We are currently accepting applications on a rolling basis for the Fall 2023/Spring 2024 planting season!
Once we are fully committed for this season, we will continue to accept applications for the following season (Fall 2024/Spring 2025).
Please read all information below.
CommunityWoods Options
Tree Planting Event
Do you have common spaces in your community where you’d love to see some beautiful trees? A TreesCharlotte tree planting event could be the solution for you! If you’re approved for a tree planting, we’ll work with you months in advance on a planting plan, tree selection, and enlisting volunteers for the event. On the actual planting day, we’ll provide the trees, mulch and equipment as well as TreeMasters to lead volunteers on how to properly plant the trees. In less than 3 hours, you’ll have created a beautiful urban forest!
Please note: We cannot provide trees required by the city of Charlotte under the tree ordinance. We are, however, happy to work with entities on trees that go above and beyond what is legally required.
Tree Adoption
In addition to a tree planting, your community can apply for a TreeAdoption, in which we’ll bring trees for residents to plant on their private properties! We’ll work with you months in advance on the marketing and registration process. On the day of the giveaway, our TreeMasters will lead all recipients on a short tree planting and maintenance demonstration. All tree recipients are expected to sign a pledge to care for the trees after planting and will be emailed additional tree care information. Tree giveaways are often 2 hours or shorter.
When does this take place?
The ideal time to plant trees in North Carolina is between September – March. All of our planting events and TreeAdoptions fall within those months to ensure the highest chance of tree survival.
Who qualifies?
Neighborhoods: If your neighborhood has community-owned space and is within the city limits of Charlotte, it’s a candidate. Often a CommunityWoods event begins with a resident who is passionate about trees. In cases where there’s an HOA or neighborhood association, we suggest a board member or community leader also serve as a contact. Before a date is set for your event, we require HOA board approval.
Schools: We love working with all schools, whether they’re private, charter, CMS or other! If there’s a school you would like us to consider, please fill out the application below and we’ll be in touch.
Other organizations: We are proud to partner with other organizations to increase tree canopy. Just fill out the application form. Some organizations we’ve planted with before include:
- Houses of faith
- Athletic/Recreation associations
- Cemeteries
- Historical sites
- Nonprofit organizations
- Corporations (we invite you to become a TreesCharlotte Planting Season Partner).
Cost
While our trees are free of charge for nearly all CommunityWoods recipients, TreesCharlotte does purchase our trees from various North Carolina growers. Therefore, as a nonprofit, we appreciate any donations to support TreesCharlotte in covering the cost of trees. Additional donations help us fund planting projects in areas that are not able to donate. We do ask that any corporations looking to host a tree planting become a TreesCharlotte Planting Season Partner to qualify for a CommunityWoods event.
About our trees
We love our trees, and we think you will, too! Our trees are sourced from three different N.C. growers and are either native or naturalized to this region. We offer small, medium and large maturing varieties.
TreesCharlotte values biodiversity and works to prioritize tree survivability and ecosystem health. Therefore, we cannot promise specific species requests for your community.
We do, however, always practice Right Tree, Right Place and will work with you on appropriate species for your community’s needs. The trees are 2-4 years old, potted in 3, 5 or 7-gallon containers and are about 5 to 10 feet tall at planting.
Post-planting care
Once a community/organization receives TreesCharlotte trees, they responsible for the trees’ long-term care. Please consider the following before applying…
Water: Our trees need about 5 gallons of water per week during the first few growing seasons (April-October). Certain CommunityWoods recipients will qualify for free watering provided by TreesCharlotte during the first growing season. After that, we encourage your community to continue watering until the trees become established (about 3 years). Communities who do not receive this service must commit to watering their trees and should keep this cost in mind.
Mulch: TreesCharlotte will provide mulch for all CommunityWoods projects at the time of planting. However, CommunityWoods recipients are required to be good stewards of their trees by continuing the use of mulch throughout a tree’s life. We recommend using the free mulch that your tree provides each year– fall leaves!
Pruning: Trained volunteers called “TreeKeepers” will return to each CommunityWoods site at 2, 4, and 6 years post-planting to survey and prune the young trees. Pruning trees when they are young will reduce their chances of developing problems as they age. You can learn about pruning young trees here! Our ISA certified arborist can even come to your community to hold a complimentary TreeCare workshop, just contact info@treescharlotte.org.
Does your community need less than 25 trees?
If your community needs less than 25 trees, contact info@treescharlotte.org. If trees are available, will work with you to get trees for your neighborhood that you will be responsible for planting and watering.
If your community needs less than 5 trees, we suggest you and some of your neighbors attend one of our free community TreeAdoptions, which we hold multiple times during the planting season.
Are you looking for trees just for your yard?
If you are interested in adding trees to only your property, we also encourage you to check out our TreeAdoptions, which are intended for individual residents.
Are you looking for trees for your street, park, or greenway?
Street Trees: If you are interested in adding trees along your city-owned street, we encourage you to submit a request to Charlotte’s Landscape Management Office. If your street is privately owned, you can proceed to apply for the CommunityWoods program.
Parks and Greenways: If you see a need for trees in a park or along a greenway, please continue to fill out the CommunityWoods application. However, TreesCharlotte will first need approval from Meck County Park and Recreation to plant in these spaces, so please keep that in mind as we work with you.
What happens once you’re approved?
Once you apply, we will be in touch to talk more about the program and to schedule a meeting with your community’s/organization’s leadership team. If all parties agree to move forward, we will then tour your community, create a planting plan, and discuss next steps. To ensure your event is a success, we strongly suggest you use our CommunityWoods Toolkit.
Questions?
Email Joi Mayo at joi@treescharlotte.org.
Praise for TreesCharlotte
“Where did all those trees come from?” That was the response so many of our students gave as they arrived on campus Monday morning! Thank you to TreesCharlotte, The Charlotte Observer and the countless volunteers that made this a reality. Because of you, the impact on this campus and this community will last for the next 100 years!”
“I wanted to drop you a note to tell you what a great success the TreesCharlotte event was at Stone Creek Ranch. All the preplanning and the teamwork displayed created an environment conducive to success plus we had a lot of fun doing it. Your team did a fantastic job in making sure we secured the trees requested and the coordination with the actual planting of the trees was flawless. Best of luck to you and your team at all future events.”
“As a recipient of two trees at Sedgefield Elementary I want to commend you and the staff for a well organized and informative event. Everything including registration, a description of the trees, the instruction of proper tree planting and overall assistance was first rate. I manage a couple of non-profits and know how much time and attention is required to properly orchestrate public events. You guys did a great job.”
“We are so grateful for the two Maple trees that TreesCharlotte donated to Park Road Montessori. Our school naturalist, Charlotte Fletcher, planted these two trees with the assistance of some of our older students. We planted these trees together outside of two of our classrooms, near our lunchtime picnic tables. Our students, teachers and parents will enjoy watching these trees grow and become part of our daily space. We value our outdoor area and classroom gardens, the maple trees just add so much to our space. Thank you for providing this treasured gift to our school.”
“Winget Park Elementary has some new additions, thanks to the school’s Nature Club and TreesCharlotte. Despite the wet weather this past Saturday, 75 volunteers came out and planted 153 trees on the school campus.”
“Thanks to each of you for all that you are doing for Charlotte and Park Ridge community! Residents of our neighborhood to include my family, came out to the event this past Saturday to pick up trees. This is a beautiful time of the year and we all will be reminded of the commitment of your organization and personal care you have shown us for many years to come.”