Join us April 25-May 3, 2025, as we celebrate trees 

In the spirit of community, Speak for the Trees, Boston, is proud to announce a series of events to celebrate trees and all they give us. We hope you can join us to acknowledge, thank, and honor trees. Trees are critical for our well being; they provide us with clean air, connection, cooler temperatures, beauty, character, a feeling of home, perspective, and strong community.

See our full calendar of events 

Our events include….

• We will be kicking off the week with a Community Tree Planting on Arbor Day, Friday, Apr. 25, 2025, at Mount Hope Cemetery. We’ll be planting 12 community-selected trees to bring new life to our urban forest!
  Register here

• On Saturday, Apr. 26 from 2–4 PM, Sophie Weston Chien and Amanda Ugorji will join us at First Church in Roxbury for an Artist Talk on their work Soft City. This textile series highlights environmental justice in Black Boston neighborhoods by mapping land use, demographics, and flood risk through tactile, community-centered design.
  Register here

• In collaboration with the community and volunteers from the Edinburgh Center, we will be bagging 500 seedlings for distribution to community members and organizations. Join us on Monday, Apr. 28 from 11 AM–2 PM.
  Register here

• Later that day, on Monday, Apr. 28 from 5–7 PM, head to the Four Corners Visual and Media Arts Center for a Mural-Making with Nature Workshop! Use natural materials to co-create a community mural inspired by the urban forest. No artistic experience needed—just bring your creativity!
  Register here

• On Tuesday, Apr. 29 from 11 AM–1 PM, join Judith Foster for a Morning Nature is Healing Walk at the Trailside Museum at Blue Hills Reservation. This reflective and restorative walk is a chance to connect with yourself, others, and nature.
  Register here

• That evening, from 6–7:30 PM, continue your nature journey with an Evening Healing Walk led by Judith Foster at the Boston Nature Center. Unwind as day turns to dusk in a peaceful forested space.
  Register here

• Tam Willey is back! Join us on Wednesday, Apr. 30 from 4–6 PM at the Arnold Arboretum for a Forest Bathing session. This guided, sensory nature experience invites mindfulness, calm, and connection.
  Register here

• On Friday, May 2 from 5–7 PM, Todd Mistor, Director of Urban Forestry, will lead a Ginkgo Tree Walk along Tonawanda Street, starting at Mother’s Rest Park. Come learn about some of Boston’s oldest and most stunning trees!
  Register here

• To close out Arbor Week, we’ll be hosting a Tree Giveaway at the Wake Up the Earth Festival outside the Stony Brook Orange Line station in Southwest Corridor Park. The festival runs from 12–6 PM on Saturday, May 3.
  Register to get your free tree

Yes, we’re also giving away free trees and seedlings

On Saturday, May 3rd, from 12:00 -6:00pm at Wake Up the Earth Festival, We will be giving away about 25 trees on a first come, first serve basis, and educating recipients on tree care. Register here to get your tree! Missed your chance to get a tree? No problem! We’re also collaborating with community partners across the city for our free seedling giveaway.

An Acknowledgement

As we celebrate trees, we acknowledge that the celebration and reverence of trees did not begin in 1872 with white settlers creating a holiday. The Indigenous people of what is now Boston, Massachusetts, have long celebrated the power and importance of trees and stewarded this land, in part through trees, for hundreds of generations. We have much to learn from the deep knowledge still held within these communities. As we enter a week of national celebration of trees, we extend gratitude for the the opportunity to work and meet on this sacred land. We extend our respect to citizens of these Nations – the Massachusett, the Wampanoag, and Nipmuc Peoples – and their ancestors who have lived here for over five hundred generations, and to all Indigenous people. We also affirm that this acknowledgement is insufficient. It does not undo the harm that has been done and continues to be perpetrated now against Indigenous people, their land, and their water. Our work is committed, in part, to dismantle the systems and heal the pain from this history. In whatever small part, we hope that our work together to celebrate trees can assist in this process.

What is Arbor Day?

When settlers first moved into the Nebraska Territory, the lack of trees was significant and surprising to them. In response, the very first Arbor Day was celebrated on April 10th, 1872 with over 1 million trees planted. By 1920, 45 states were celebrating Arbor Day, and today Arbor Day is celebrated in all 50 states. A unique, relevant, and emboldening holiday, Arbor Day is a statement of our hope and commitment to our collective future. And, just like 150 years ago, it remains a time to gather together to celebrate trees – and the larger environment – for their importance.

This Arbor Week, please support our work in growing Tree Equity in Boston

Thank you to our generous sponsors