Crew Leader Resources
Greetings Crew Leaders!
As the folks who make our plantings happen and represent FOT in our neighborhoods, you are the backbone of the important work we are doing to bring trees to the neighborhoods that need them most. We want to provide you with additional learning opportunities — information about the trees we plant, environmental justice, and some just-for-fun stuff. We’ll be adding to this page over time, so consider it a work in progress. We hope you find it useful!
- What does planting day look like this year?
Planting day will look a bit different this season due to new COVID-19 precautions. We put together this short video to hopefully explain exactly what Crew Leaders can expect, and what we ask of you to prepare. It would be helpful to review this video prior to your first event to ensure that you are aware of all of our changes! This video includes some notes about:
- Our COVID safety guidelines
- Recommendations for what to pack on planting day
- Planting day schedule
This video is a short excerpt from our 2020 Virtual Assistant Crew Leader Training. If you’d like to view the entire training, visit: friendsoftrees.org/news-resources/crew-leader-online-training/.
- COVID Guidelines
Veteran Crew Leaders – we listened to your feedback and incorporated your recommendations when designing our new planting model. Below are some of the COVID safety practices we will be following this season.
Please do your best to demonstrate these safety rules for others — to help keep everyone safe!
- We require everyone at our events to properly wear a face mask that completely covers the nose and chin, and is snug around the edges.
- We recommend bringing a face shield as well! Not only will they provide an added layer of protection, but they will hopefully help to keep your mask dry in the rain!
- Masks will be available at the staging site if you forget yours.
- Please respect physical distancing.
- If rain is forecasted, we will have a couple of canopies and umbrellas, but dress accordingly to stay warm and dry.
- Remember – a tree stake is 6′ long!
- FOT will sanitize tools before use or let them rest for 5 days.
- Gloves and vests will be washed prior to every event.
- Expect to begin at a starting point, the Start Zone, where you will meet a staff person (purple vest) who will greet you, ask you a couple of Covid-related health questions, and point out the next stations to visit before hanging out and waiting for the huddle
- There will be signage that highlights safety reminders, and will guide you through our outdoor space, to help facilitate spacing to help keep everyone safe.
- Trees will not be at the staging site on planting day. All trees will be pre-delivered by FOT staff prior to the planting event.
- Crews will consist of 2-3 Planting Crew Leaders.
- We ask that you refrain from carpooling with anyone outside your household. If needed, staff can deliver tools to your first site.
- Be prepared to chat with your partner prior to leaving the staging site, to discuss your preference of keeping tool use separate and not sharing, or letting your partner know that you are comfortable with sharing tools. We want you to know that it’s ok to have this conversation because we want to feel comfortable and safe.
- We will only have water and pre-packaged snacks available. (We miss the big spread too, but keeping us all safe is far more important!)
- Some events may have coffee or tea available, but we cannot guarantee it at every event.
We recommend packing the following:
- Umbrella
- Lunch or snacks
- Water bottle
- You are welcome to bring your own tools and gloves if you would feel more comfortable!
- We ask that if you do not feel well, or have been around someone that is unwell, that you cancel your volunteer shift. (We will do the same, as staff.)
- It’s ok to miss your shift!
- Tree Planting
Ten Step Container Tree
Container trees are some of the most common nursery stock planted by Friends of Trees, as they are available year-round from nurseries.
When planting a container-grown tree, our focus is on preventing circling roots and making sure the tree is planted at the right depth. Neighborhood Trees Specialist Haley Miller shows us the ins and outs of planting container-grown tree stock, with extra time demonstrating how to find the tree’s root flare.
Guest starring the Royal Raindrops crabapple.
How to plant a Ball & Burlap Tree
Ball and Burlap trees are field-grown, and they are only available when they can be dug up — after the trees have gone dormant for the fall.
When planting Ball and Burlap trees, our focus is on keeping the rootball intact and planting at the right depth. FOT alums Kris Hikari and Susie Peterson show us how to properly plant Ball and Burlap tree stock. Brighton West explains the tilt and tuck method to remove the tree’s burlap and the stake leveling technique to make sure your root flare is at the soil level.
Guest starring the Paperbark maple.
- Print Resources to Download
2020 Planting Crew Leader Handbook
This handbook contains information about planting day logistics, your role as a Crew Leader, tree planting techniques and tree biology facts, and much, much more! If it has been a few years since you have put eyes on this handbook, we encourage you to check it out!
The CL Checklist has been updated this season with our updated COVID era planting model. It outlines our new timeline as well as the tree planting process, step by step. This will be on every clipboard on planting day for reference.
The EDI Toolkit is a great educational resource to review prior to your first planting! It includes readings and provides a lot of tools that you can implement while you are working with others!
The Emergency Protocols provides a step-by-step action process in the event of an emergency. It also contains non-emergency numbers for every municipality we work in. This will be available as a resource on your clipboard on planting day.
Signing up for events:
My Personal Page
Your personal page is a resource to view your upcoming plantings and to see your volunteer history with Friends of Trees. You can also use this page to cancel your upcoming shifts, which opens up a spot for another CL to fill your spot. (This is best to do three or more weeks ahead of time — before you get the CL Memo.)
How do I get to my Personal Page?
- Enter your information below and submit.
- Check your email – an email from ‘[email protected]’ should arrive shortly.
- Click on the link to visit your personal page.
How do I use it?
- View Your Information: View and edit your current contact information, personal information, volunteer history and any upcoming plantings you are signed up for.
- Event Calendar: Sign up for Friends of Trees volunteer events displayed in calendar format.
- Event List: Sign up for Friends of Trees volunteer events displayed in chronological list format.