Part 1: Plan
1. Decide who needs to be involved
Think about who you will need permission from and who you can get support from, both on and off campus. Consider your landscape and academic departments as well as local nurseries, arborists, and gardening clubs.
2. Organize a planning committee and set a date for the event
Meet regularly. Consider Earth Week!
Spring and fall are the best times to plant trees, which can be planted if the ground temperature is above 45 degrees. Planting in the spring is the more common approach, as it gives them a higher chance of surviving the winter
3. Choose the planting site and species and get all necessary permits
Be sure to think about planting the right tree in the right place—considering hardiness zones, size, soil conditions, etc. Talk to your landscape department, arborists, and nurseries!
4. Analyze needs and costs
We recommend you do this months in advance. Think about seeking in-kind donations when possible.
Part 2: Connect
1. Raise funds & ask for donations
Hold a fundraising event, ask for support from community leaders and businesses and look into the potential for grant funds. We sought donations from local businesses for raffle items, university housing for food, and local celebrities for presentations. We also asked volunteers to bring their own tools if they had them. Our involvement with the community produced the donations that made our Arbor Day successful!
2. Recruit volunteers
We attracted volunteers by advertising A LOT, attending university tabling events, and speaking in classes. We reached out to both the university and community. We asked volunteers to sign up and tracked their email and t-shirt size to keep them on the hook for the big day.
3. Order trees & supplies
Complete this task approximately 3 months in advance and work with a reputable nursery. Our relationship with a local nursery allowed us to utilize “past-due” trees for lower/no cost. We also planted seed flats in the fall and grew them in a greenhouse over winter to use for our Arbor Day.
Get 10 Free Trees
Apply for Free Native Tree Seedlings
Urban Tree Owner’s Manual
The Arbor Day Foundation Nursery
4. Invite media participation
Try to get them to run a story about the event before it happens and cover the event for a story after you’re finished. Here are some of the resources we used:
Posters on & off campus, local business newsletters, campus newspaper, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Meetup.com, Eventbrite, Class raps, campus-wide emails, public scrolling monitors across campus, local TV, local radio, local newspapers, collegiatelink, campus faculty, front page of university website, local schools, local clubs (ex: Master Gardener’s Club)
5. Schedule the event
Create a schedule for the day. Include a fun activity for volunteers, such as lunch or live music. We also included presentations by experts in the field of sustainability and/or landscaping.
Part 3: Plant
1. Prepare the site
Don’t forget to check for underground utilities and take “before” photos.
2. Assemble equipment & supplies
Make sure everything is ready to go on planting day. Ask volunteers to bring their own tools if they have them.
3. Instruct participants & demonstrate proper planting
4. Schedule routine maintenance & care
If you won’t be the one caring for the tree, make sure these arrangements are set up before the event. Your university’s landscape department is your friend!
5. Reward volunteers who helped
Thank them often, sincerely and publicly (when appropriate).
T-shirts and food are always widely appreciated by all age groups.
6. Evaluate the event
Gather your committee members and volunteers to see what worked well and what didn’t. Learn from your mistakes and tweak next year’s plan as needed!