Hannah Johnson is helping Fort Worth tend to and maintain its tree canopy as she leads the city’s forestry team.
Johnson was appointed city forester in January, but she started working for Fort Worth beginning five years ago as a natural scientist supervisor for the park and recreation department.
“Hannah has been an integral part of our team, and we are excited to see her step into this leadership role,” said parks assistant director Joel McElhany. “We are confident in her ability to lead the continued growth and stewardship of Fort Worth’s tree canopy.”
Johnson previously served as Fort Worth’s interim city forester.
As Fort Worth’s top tree expert, Johnson is responsible for an array of things. A day for her could call for reviewing plans in office and on other days she might be on site visits.
At its core, the job calls for planning the maintenance of the city’s trees as new developments and parks come into the picture. That involves establishing tree protections, mitigating tree removals and maintaining canopy.
Johnson also oversees the distribution of trees through city programs such as the Neighborhood Tree Planting and Tree Grant.
She’s proud to work with Fort Worth’s urban forestry team, which she described as a small but mighty department.
“We have a really big impact on the city,” Johnson said. “We have great crew members that do great work. I’m very grateful to have those crew members.”
Trees of all ages and species grow at the Rolling Hills Tree Farm in south Fort Worth, pictured Feb. 24, 2026. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Looking ahead
It was only natural Johnson pursued horticulture. She got her first gig at a family friend’s greenscaping business in her home state of Wyoming. That job called for maintenance, plant bed upkeep and some tree pruning.
“That was my deciding factor to go into horticulture,” Johnson said. “I really enjoyed it.”
Her career in horticulture began after earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming.
In her home state, she worked as Campbell County’s horticulturalist for seven years before moving to Texas. She did agricultural work in Midland for two years before finally landing in Fort Worth as the city’s natural sciences supervisor and interim city forester.
As Fort Worth continues to see booming growth and development, Johnson has one major goal in mind: creating a five-year plan for tree planting.
As more homes are being built, there is less and less room for tree canopy, she said. Trees are also slowly declining in canopy-dense parts of town.
Fort Worth city forester Hannah Johnson holds up a young tree in a “bullet” on Feb. 24, 2026, at the Rolling Hills Tree Farm. Seeds are planted in bullet-like form to promote deep-root growth. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Johnson wants to pursue more care for areas where trees are dying by hosting more planting efforts. She also wants the forestry team to prioritize which parks receive a sapling because of the amount of water needed to help them achieve deep root growth within a two-year period, Johnson said.
Fort Worth is home to 300 parks. The forestry team waters between three to four parks a day.
Johnson also wants more people to be aware of what she considers a Fort Worth gem: the Rolling Hills Tree Farm.
The farm sits adjacent to the Tarrant County College South Campus. The land grows trees to stock city initiatives including the Neighborhood Tree Planting, the Tree Grant and the Tree Voucher programs.
Rolling Hills consists of local and outsourced tree seeds and ranges from 25 to 35 different species. Thanks to the farm, the forestry team provides 1,500 trees a year to those programs.
“We don’t want to be a secret. It’s very unique for the city of Fort Worth,” Johnson said.
Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.
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