Community Forester Workshop Registration Open

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Looking for a way to make a tangible, positive impact on your community? Want to learn how to take care of that tree in the corner of your yard? Unsure of what actions you can take now to create a healthy, resilient future for your loved ones? Register for The Park People’s Community Forester program, a five-part workshop series that teaches you how to tend trees and lead your community’s greening efforts.

The workshop series is co-led by staff of Denver nonprofit The Park People and Denver Parks & Recreation’s Office of the City Forester. Beginning with a “Trees 101” prerequisite course, prospective Community Foresters then learn planting, pruning, and identification, through a combination of classroom learning and interactive, hands-on fieldwork. The series concludes with a course on volunteer leadership and community engagement. This breadth of coursework is designed to increase graduates’ impact throughout Denver’s urban forest by not only providing them with forestry skills and knowledge, but the tools they need to take climate action in their neighborhoods.

After graduation, Community Foresters volunteer their time in ways that work for them. For example, some might pick up a shovel and a bag of mulch, and plant trees. Others might canvass and flyer in their neighborhoods to inform residents about how they can support their local forest, such as applying for free and low-cost trees through The Park People’s Denver Digs Trees program. And some might enjoy conducting health checks on young trees, making sure they were planted correctly and are getting the water and care they need. Volunteers like Community Foresters are essential to not just The Park People’s operations, but to creating cool, comfortable, safe, and beautiful neighborhoods. The biodiversity of our urban forest is necessary, and diverse skill sets and interests of volunteer foresters are just as important. Whatever your reason for being green, you can make your community more vibrant!

“What I find meaningful about Community Forester is the fun and excitement it brings back to learning,” says Brenda Negrete, The Park People’s Community Engagement Coordinator. “I really appreciate how engaging the workshop series is, and the quality time and education provided by The Park People’s staff and Denver’s Parks & Recreation team, who are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about these topics. It’s like stepping into a new world, discovering a new language, and connecting with a community many people may not have encountered before. It’s a space you can truly call your community, and with the right tools, you have the power to care for your trees in Denver.”

For anyone interested in registering for the Community Forester Course:

Visit TheParkPeople.org or call 303-722-6262 to register and learn more details.

The course is held on one Saturday morning per month from March through July

The course fee is $65 per workshop, but those who commit to volunteering for at least 10 hours during their first year as Community Foresters pay only $25. Need-based scholarships are available for those facing financial hardship.