From TreeFolks, this month’s Get Involved spotlight nonprofit:
Volunteer Opportunities
Planting a tree is a simple act that has a lasting impact. When you volunteer with TreeFolks, you can spend time outside, learn new skills, meet neighbors, and help make Central Texas a better place to live for all.
Volunteers plant and care for trees in parks, schoolyards, neighborhoods, and wild spaces. They also help give free trees to Austin residents. At our nursery, they sort seeds and care for young trees. At public events, they help people learn about TreeFolks. No tree knowledge is needed. We provide the training, tools, and support.
There are ways to help for many interests and activity levels. You can join one event, volunteer with a group, or train to lead others as a Super Volunteer. You may plant a sapling, welcome a family at a tree adoption, or talk with a neighbor. Every role helps our community grow.
About TreeFolks
TreeFolks is a Central Texas nonprofit that began in 1989. Our mission is to help Central Texans build stronger communities by planting and caring for trees. We work with volunteers, neighborhoods, schools, local leaders, and partner groups. Together, we grow trees in urban and wild spaces, while helping restore damaged ecosystems.
Our volunteer events are also outdoor classrooms. People learn how to plant and care for trees, to identify native trees, collect seeds, and see how trees support daily life. Volunteers leave with useful skills and a closer bond with the land, their neighbors, and the places they call home.
How You Can Help
Central Texas is growing fast. Hotter and colder temperatures, floods, fires, drought, and new roads and buildings can harm trees and reduce shade. Some neighborhoods also have far fewer trees than others. Planting is only the first step. Young trees need care, and damaged land needs support over many years.
By volunteering with TreeFolks, you help:
● Create more shade and cooler outdoor spaces.
● Protect healthy soils and help keep creeks clean.
● Give food and shelter to birds and other wildlife.
● Care for young trees so they can grow strong.
● Bring more trees to areas that need them.
● Restore land after floods, fires, and other harm.
● Build stronger ties among neighbors.
● Learn skills you can use at home and share with others.
Our Programs:
NeighborWooods
NeighborWoods gives free trees to Austin residents and shared spaces. These trees can cool homes, lower energy use, add beauty, and grow food. Volunteers welcome tree adopters, move and load trees, and share simple care tips. They help turn a free tree into a lasting gift for a home, school, garden, or neighborhood.
Community Tree Plantings
TreeFolks works with local partners to plant and care for trees in parks, schoolyards, and other public places. Volunteers dig, plant, mulch, water, and care for trees that will serve many people. Tree care events also help older plantings stay healthy. Skilled volunteers can train as Super Volunteers and lead teams at future events.
Seeds to Trees Native Nursery
Every tree begins with a seed. At the TreeFolks Seeds to Trees Native Nursery, volunteers help grow trees that are native to Central Texas. Work changes with the season. Volunteers may clean and sort seeds, mix soil, fill pots, plant seeds, move young trees, or help with daily care. It is a hands-on way to learn how trees grow from seed to sapling.
Reforestation
TreeFolks helps bring forests back to creek banks, river areas, and other parts of Central Texas. This work protects soil, helps keep water clean, gives wildlife a home, and helps damaged land heal. TreeFolks has assisted communities affected by natural disasters in planting thousands of trees. Our most recent project, Rooted in Recovery, will support landowners affected by the July 4th, 2025, floods. Volunteers may help with outreach at a TreeMail event, water trees waiting to be planted, or help plant trees at large workdays. Each small tree becomes part of a much larger effort.
Why TreeFolks Efforts Matter and the Community Impact of Our Work
Trees make our communities healthier and more beautiful. They give shade on hot days. They slow and clean rainwater, hold soil in place, give wildlife a home, and make outdoor spaces feel more welcoming. A well-placed tree can help people for many years. But it needs a strong start and steady care.
TreeFolks volunteers make that care possible. They bring energy, passion, and teamwork to each planting, adoption, nursery day, and public event. Their work helps TreeFolks reach more people and care for more places. Volunteers also share what they learn. One person can inspire a family, a block, or a whole neighborhood to care for trees.
Get Involved
You do not need to be a tree expert to become a TreeFolk. Bring your curiosity, your helping hands, and your love for Central Texas. Register through our volunteer portal and sign up for the opportunities you want to participate in. TreeFolks will help with the rest.