Boston residents are invited to enroll in our BRAND NEW Community Tree Keepers program, where you’ll not only learn about the importance and benefits trees bring but also how to care for them so they continue to bring value to our community. Participants enroll in two 2-hour long sessions to complete the Community Tree Keeper training, which is expected to start in early April. The training includes tree identification, proper tree planting procedure, who to contact for all your tree-related questions, and more. For more information, please visit and sign up on our Tree Keepers website.

We’re excited to welcome Joel Marquis as our newest board member and Chair of the Finance Committee. Joel brings 20+ years of professional experience in multiple finance roles. After spending five years in investment banking, Joel shifted to work in finance for a publicly traded company before joining a fast-growing venture-backed technology start-up. Following the acquisition of the start-up, he returned to business school and, upon graduation, focused on supporting technology founders and their companies. In his current role in JP Morgan's Innovation Economy group, Joel continues to serve technology founders and start-ups. Joel lives in West Roxbury with his wife and two children.

Boston Urban Forest Friends is a coalition of organizations, community groups, and individuals focused on increasing partnerships and collaboration around growing Boston’s urban canopy. Monthly meetings are held online and are open to the public. Our next meeting is tomorrow, Friday, March 8, 2024, from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., and the Speak for the Trees team will share exciting updates regarding the BUFF website. You can register here. We look forward to seeing you!

The City of Boston is organizing a volunteer clean-up at Mattahunt Woods on Saturday, March 23rd, from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. This clean-up will include City staff and community members, who will work together to remove trash, weeds, and other debris from the natural area. They will also share information about the Mattahunt Woods Urban Wild Restoration Project in advance of the project’s construction, which will begin later this spring. 

Please see the event page (linked here) for more information about suggested attire and the meeting location. You can sign up through the event page or this link. 

If you have any questions, please contact Catherine McCandless from the City of Boston Environment Department ([email protected]) or Nick Long from the Urban Wilds Program ([email protected]).

Speak for the Trees is currently preparing for the upcoming Summer Teen Urban Tree Corps program and is excited to announce that our Team Leader application is live! Team Leaders are young adults, ages 19-24, who supervise youth participants in caring for Boston's tree canopy by engaging in tree identification, climbing, plantings, watering, and more. This is a temporary paid position of $20/hr for 30 hours a week. Team Leaders will work 9 weeks from mid-June to mid-August, exact dates TBD. To apply, please send your resume and a cover letter, along with 3 professional references, to Joshua Reed, our Education Coordinator, at [email protected] and Jamila dePeiza-Kern, our Teen Urban Tree Corps Program Coordinator, at [email protected]. 

We are now welcoming Boston high-school-aged youth to apply to join as Summer TUTC program participants! TUTC participants will learn about the importance of urban trees and gain skills in urban forestry, including how to plant, care for, and advocate for trees. Participants will provide hands-on care to street trees and make connections in the world of urban forestry through various field trips and guest speakers. Participants will also assist Speak for the Trees to expand the watering program into a new community by sharing the skills and procedures involved with another youth-serving organization. The program will run from early July to mid-August, and participants will work 25 hours a week at $15 an hour.