Get Involved
Become an Ambassador
Starting in fall 2025, Buffalo Street Tree Ambassadors will be recruited to help raise awareness in neighborhoods that need trees the most.
Ambassadors will receive training, networking and shared learning opportunities, and a $500 stipend for their commitment to being part of the solution.
Organize with your neighbors
If you want to see a blockwide tree planting on your street, residents can coordinate with their neighbors to submit a petition requesting trees be planted on their street’s suitable tree planting sites. Residents will need to get support from at least 75% of their block neighbors to be approved for a blockwide planting.
If you would like to learn more or need assistance, please fill out this online form. Once submitted, the Buffalo Street Tree engagement team at the UB Regional Institute will follow up with you to provide additional guidance.
You can also review this sample petition form to start the process.
Spread the Word
Help us spread the word and bring more trees to your neighborhood.
Download the toolkit to help promote this initiative through social media or by printing a flyer that you can distribute. This toolkit includes resources for writing and talking about street trees in Buffalo.
Download the toolkit…
Bring Us to Your Meeting
Want to learn more about street trees and the benefits they can bring to your neighborhood? A City of Buffalo resident will come out to your block club, church, community group, or neighborhood association to answer any questions and provide you with tools to recruit your neighbors to get engaged with street tree plantings.
Contact the BST Community Engagement Team at:
info@buffalotrees.org or 716-878-2440
Tree Planting Opportunities
Various community-based organizations throughout Buffalo offer volunteer opportunities, including neighborhood-level street plantings or educational programming. The City of Buffalo partners with organizations to be part of the solution in increasing the canopy of street trees in our city.
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Erie County is leading an initiative to advance climate resilience through a countywide Community Forest Management Plan. In collaboration with the Black Rock Riverside Alliance, the effort will create two fruit orchards to help address food insecurity in neighborhoods facing limited access to fresh produce. Additionally, in partnership with Buffalo Freedom Gardens, the initiative will establish two Buffalo Freedom Gardens, including the Gail V. Wells Freedom Food Forest at JFK Park. Periodically Erie County and its partners may be seeking help with planting or maintaining trees at volunteer events.
Volunteer events opportunities will be posted at: www.erie.gov/parks/events
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The Buffalo Green Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing Buffalo's neighborhoods, parks, and public spaces through beautification and landscaping projects. Buffalo Green Fund regularly organizes volunteer tree planting events through Re-Tree WNY, provides matching grants for neighborhood beautification projects, and organizes various other programs like Buffalo in Bloom.
Sign-up to volunteer or organize a neighborhood-focused tree planting
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As a partnership between Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Buffalo Green Fund, the WNY CommuniTree Steward program provides an annual five-part classroom and in-field training series to teach Buffalo area residents to care for newly planted trees.
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Olmsted Parks Conservancy offers various volunteer opportunities related to tree plantings and greening, with a focus on the public spaces associated with Buffalo’s Olmsted Parks System.
Learn more about volunteer opportunities with the Olmsted Parks Conservancy
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Ralph Wilson Park is a 100+ acre waterfront park on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Buffalo. The park is currently undergoing a transformation to become one of the most beautiful and inclusive public spaces in the country. This includes planting about 2,680 trees as part of the park’s reconstruction.
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The Tool Library is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven tool-lending service based at 2626 Main Street. The Tool Library has planted over 1,600 trees across University and Masten Districts since 2014. Each year, the Tool Library hosts Service Days held throughout Buffalo, focusing on tree stewardship, park improvements, combating blight, and cultivating gardens.
Learn more about getting involved with Tool Library Service Days