Volunteer Frequently Asked Questions

Friends of Trees typically hosts tree planting events October-April, which we refer to as “planting season.”  Here in the Pacific Northwest, survival rates for transplanting are highest during these months, our rainy season.  Striving for a high survival rate honors the community’s time and energy at planting events and provides the most benefit to the parks, natural areas, and neighborhoods where we plant.

During the summer months we host fewer events, which you may notice on the event calendar. We hope to plant with you again during the next planting season!

Yes. Please register through the event calendar. If an event is full, we hope you consider attending a different event that needs your help! 

To sign up for an event:  select the event of your choice in the event calendar and fill out the registration form linked inside the event. We recommend you check the calendar a few weeks before you wish to volunteer – many of our events fill up! 

To sign up for a training: If you are interested in training for a key volunteer role, check out the How to Volunteer page with all of our available roles. Select the role you’re interested in and sign-up!

Yes! Groups of all sizes are welcome to register for all of our events!  Some events may be a better fit for a group depending on location, physical abilities, and interest in staying together.

Green Space events: These events happen at a site within a park or natural area, and we can often keep groups of up to 15 people in the same planting crew. If your group is larger, you will be on different planting crews but in the same vicinity and still able to interact. You will plant smaller-sized native trees and shrubs, which are often easier for youth to plant on their own. We recommend this style event for youth age 6 and older. Look for the green events on the event calendar.

Neighborhood Trees events: These event happen within several neighborhoods. You meet at a central location, and then spread out to plant in the nearby neighborhood. We can keep a group of 3-5 people together in the same planting crew. You will be planting larger-sized trees (6-10′ tall and weighing up to 40 lbs). We recommend youth are 10+ years old, unfortunately there are relatively few tasks for smaller-bodied people at these events. Look for the purple events on the event calendar.

Please contact our Volunteer & Outreach team if you have questions about which events may be the best fit for your group: [email protected] / 503-595-0213

Possibly. This depends on the size of your group and the type of event. 

• To stay together we recommend our Green Space program events where we’re planting in a park or natural area.  We can often keep groups of up to 15 people together on one planting crew.
• If you’re willing to be split up, you’re a good fit for either of our planting programs: Green Space and Neighborhood Trees.  Please know that for neighborhood plantings we ask groups to split up into smaller teams of 3-5 people. This ensures a high quality experience while volunteering and contributes to all the trees getting planted.
• “How do I know which events are Green Space and Neighborhood Trees?” On the event calendar, Green Space events are green, Neighborhood Trees events are purple.

Yes! Over time we have received feedback from parents that our events are best suited for ages 6+.  We encourage building tree and community stewardship young and hope you and your family consider participating!

Younger than 6? The physical nature of this work and the weather conditions can be challenging for children younger than 6 and the adults who look after them. These are not hard and fast rules, just guidelines based on feedback from folks who have been in your shoes before.

Ages 6+: Our Green Space plantings are generally great for planters 6 years and older. These events take place in a single location and are focused on smaller-stock trees and shrubs which are easier to plant for smaller-bodied volunteers.

Ages 10+: For Neighborhood Trees events we often plant along neighborhood streets, moving to multiple locations throughout a given area, and planting 8-10′ trees. Youth under 10 (and the adults looking after them) may find these events challenging.

Youth 15 and under: We kindly request a parent or guardian is in attendance.  For elementary-aged youth, we request a ratio of 1 adult for every 5 youth.  For older youth, 1 adult for every 10 youth.

Youth 16+: 16 and older are welcome without an adult as long as they are comfortable interacting with other adults and youth and can follow planting instructions.

Yes! In order to participate, all youth under age 18 must bring a paper copy of our youth waiver signed by their parent or guardian to the event. Youth will not be able to participate if they don’t have a signed waiver. 

Some sites are wheelchair accessible, but not all of them. Accommodations for volunteers with limited vision and/or who are hard of hearing can be coordinated. To learn more about accessibility at our events, please visit our Volunteer Accessibility page or contact our Volunteer & Outreach staff: [email protected] / 503-595-0213.

No, Friends of Trees provides gloves to wear and tools to use for the duration of the event. If you feel more comfortable wearing your own gloves, please feel free to bring them! Friends of Trees is not responsible for any misplaced personal items during our events.

During planting season (October-April), warm layers and waterproof outerwear is ideal. Any comfortable clothes that will keep you warm even if they get wet are good (synthetic fabric and wool are better than cotton). For safety reasons, we require volunteers to wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes or boots — tall rubber boots, work boots, or hiking shoes work great! Please wear clothing you are comfortable getting dirty.

For stewardship events (April-May), we still require closed-toe, sturdy shoes or boots for safety reasons. No sandals of any kind, please! And, while the weather may be warmer, we still encourage long-sleeved layers to protect your skin from the sun/woody mulch debris/thorny species we may be removing.

At Friends of Trees, the safety of volunteers, staff, and project partners is our top priority. If we believe an event needs to be cancelled, we will update the event calendar and share the update via our social media no later than the Friday morning before an event. If you are pre-registered, you will receive an email notifying you of the event cancellation. If you check our calendar and it does not indicate your event is cancelled, we are moving forward.

If an event is still happening and you do not feel comfortable participating, please know we support your decision to attend or not.  Each person has a unique set of circumstances. Make the best decision for your own personal safety and those around you. 

If you are feeling ill, we ask that you sit this event out and return when you feel well.

Yes, BUT…volunteer or service learning hours can only be verified while you are at the event. Bring a letter, form, or whatever document you use to track hours to the event. After activities end, a Friends of Trees staff member (they’ll be wearing purple Friends of Trees vests) will be happy to sign to verify your attendance. We are unable to verify hours in any form (letter, call, email, etc) after the event has concluded. We also recommend taking a photo of yourself in action to tell the story of your volunteerism.

No, we do not allow dogs at Friends of Trees events.  It’s difficult to know if a volunteer coming to an event has a dog allergy or a fear of dogs.  We’ve committed to making our events as safe and inclusive (to humans) as possible, so unfortunately we need to say ‘no’ to canine friends.  In addition, some of our planting sites have deemed dogs disruptive to sensitive fish/wildlife habitat (ex: national wildlife refuges) and we honor their rules.

Service animals are welcome. If you have a service animal and would like to attend an event, please let us know in advance: [email protected] / 503-595-0213.

Friends of Trees currently hosts events in the Vancouver-metro, Portland-metro, Salem, and Eugene-Springfield regions. If you are looking to plant in Eugene-Springfield, check out the Eugene Friends of Trees page.

All of our volunteers can expect certain things from their volunteer experience with Friends of Trees. In return, Friends of Trees has certain expectations of every volunteer.

How can I expect to be treated at Friends of Trees?

• • Be provided with a friendly introduction to Friends of Trees, staff members, and area you’ll be working
  • Be provided with a safe working environment
  • Be treated as an individual whose time and input is valued by the organization
  • Participate in a well-defined role with clear expectations
  • Receive training/education for your tasks and be given an explanation of how this work contributes to the larger mission for Friends of Trees
  • Receive feedback about your work and a person who you can direct questions and receive support
  • Be given flexibility to integrate your volunteer schedule into your personal schedule (Note: Some roles are more flexible than others and Friends of Trees will communicate this at the start of engagement)
  • Be given the opportunity for varied experiences (for example: planting, pruning, tree care, office work, etc)
  • Be protected from liability, harassment, discrimination, and other workplace concerns
  • Request a re-evaluation of your role/task if and when you would like to change
  • Learn about Friends of Trees, its mission, and its programs

Volunteers are expected to:

• • Be willing to participate in orientation and training
  • Ask for help when needed
  • Be realistic about their time commitment to the volunteer role
  • Be sincere in their offer of service to Friends of Trees
  • Contact Friends of Trees with any scheduling changes
  • Carry out their work reliably and to the best of their ability
  • Represent Friends of Trees to the best of their abilities when working with the public as a volunteer
  • Uphold Friends of Trees’ commitment to inclusion at every turn (learn about our Equity & Inclusion and anti-oppression expectations)
  • Stay within the bounds of the job description, unless otherwise asked
  • Accept the guidance and decisions of the Friends of Trees staff

Yes!  Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter (@friendsoftrees). You can also view the latest version of our email newsletter, TreeMail.