Cleveland's 'Tree Ambassadors' program aims to boost urban canopy

Volunteers are trained to care for newly planted trees to help the city reach its goal of 30% tree coverage by 2040.

Apr. 12, 2026 at 10:00pm

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A bold, graphic illustration composed of a repeating pattern of a young tree sapling in bright neon greens, blues, and oranges, conceptually representing the city's ambitious tree planting program and community involvement.A community-driven effort to restore Cleveland's urban tree canopy one sapling at a time.Cleveland Today

The city of Cleveland has launched a new 'Tree Ambassadors' volunteer program to help restore the city's diminished tree canopy. The program trains residents to provide basic care like watering and mulching for newly planted trees on city property, freeing up city arborists to focus on maintaining mature trees. The goal is to increase Cleveland's tree coverage from the current 17% to 30% by 2040, which would require planting around 17,000 trees per year.

Why it matters

Cleveland was once known as the 'Forest City', but has lost over 50% of its tree canopy since the 1950s. Restoring the urban tree cover provides environmental benefits like improved air quality, reduced stormwater runoff, and lower temperatures, while also enhancing the city's identity and community engagement.

The details

The Tree Ambassadors program is launching as a pilot in the Tremont and Collinwood neighborhoods, with volunteers like Laura Marks organizing efforts to plant and care for new trees. After training, volunteers are assigned specific trees to water and mulch, ensuring the newly planted trees have dedicated caretakers. The program aims to complement the city's plans to plant around 17,000 trees per year to reach the 30% canopy goal by 2040.

  • The Cleveland Tree Coalition estimates the city has lost 50% of its tree canopy since the 1950s.
  • Cleveland's current tree canopy coverage is around 17%.
  • The city's goal is to increase the tree canopy to 30% by 2040.
  • The Tree Ambassadors program is launching as a pilot in the Tremont and Collinwood neighborhoods in 2026.

The players

Laura Marks

A resident of the Collinwood neighborhood who is helping lead an effort to plant 75 trees in Humphrey Park this year in partnership with the city.

Sara Tillie

The executive director of the Cleveland Tree Coalition, which is partnering with the city to launch the Tree Ambassadors program.

Donte Gibbs

The vice president of community partnerships for the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which sponsored a recent tree planting event at Woodland Cemetery.

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What they’re saying

“In order to get it to survive, you need those extra steps of watering and mulching. In the first few years of a tree's life, they are most vulnerable.”

— Laura Marks, Collinwood resident

“The Cleveland Tree Ambassadors are a group of volunteer citizens who are trained to do some real basic tree care.”

— Sara Tillie, Executive Director, Cleveland Tree Coalition

“Cleveland started out with the nickname 'Forest City,' and over the years we lost some of that. This is a chance to be part of bringing that back.”

— Donte Gibbs, Vice President of Community Partnerships, Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park

What’s next

The Tree Ambassadors program is launching as a pilot in the Tremont and Collinwood neighborhoods, with plans to eventually expand to other areas of Cleveland.

The takeaway

By engaging residents as 'Tree Ambassadors' to care for newly planted trees, Cleveland is taking a community-driven approach to restoring its urban canopy and reclaiming its identity as the 'Forest City'. This hands-on volunteer program not only benefits the environment, but also fosters a sense of civic pride and connection among participants.