Join Speak for the Trees for our Free Fall Tree Giveaway at the Urban Farming Institute in Mattapan on Saturday, October 5th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  We are excited to be in partnership with Accenture and the Urban Farming Institute. Mattapan homeowners and residents are highly encouraged to sign-up.

We are now welcoming City of Boston High School students to apply to our Teen Urban Tree Corps School Year Program! TUTC SYP participants will learn about urban forestry, green career opportunities, and support SFTT on a variety of projects. Participants will be working on:

1. 1. Planning our third annual Teen Tree Summit 
   2. Conducting research on Boston’s Urban Forest
   3. Developing SFTT outreach materials
   4. Developing educational social media posts

The program will begin on Monday November 4th and run through May 2025. Participants will meet Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 4pm - 6pm. The application can be found here: https://treeboston.org/tutcsyp/ 

Speak for the Trees and American Forests are partnering together to bring more trees through a community-led tree-planting project that will elevate the environmental needs of the community. We will be planting ten trees by using the American Forests Tree Equity Score Analyzer tool to determine the best location for the trees. We are looking for support from youth, elders, homeowners, renters and all. This project will help create a vibrant green space that will enhance Boston’s tree canopy.

To learn more about TESA and participate in the community design process, please join us at Mt. Hope Cemetery Friday Sept., 13th from 4pm-5pm located at 355 Walk Hill St, Boston, MA 02131. In the rear of the cemetery along Mt. Calvary Road.

Ronan Park in Boston serves as a gathering space for the community. Tucked on a hill behind Fields Corner in Dorchester, our staff has loved spending time up there with the trees and the view. We are thrilled to have received a DotBlock grant from the Boston Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) to plant trees there. More recently, we were approached by Artists for Humanity to co-develop community-led art projects that would align with the community's needs. The project will include free-standing art sculptures, painted murals, and, with the BPDA grant, additional trees for the park. We are looking for support from youth, elders, homeowners, renters, and anyone who utilizes the park. Click here to provide your input. Together, we can help create a vibrant, green, and artistic space in Ronan Park.

Please join us for our Fall celebration, “Branching Out for Our Future: Planting Trees, Nurturing Communities”. The event will be held on the evening of October 10, 2024 at Southline in Dorchester. We’ll be gathering to celebrate our partners, our growth, and, of course, our trees.

There will be plenty of food and drinks and many opportunities to converse, mingle, and celebrate. (Dress is casual – we’re tree people, after all!)

Some highlights:

• Plant a tree
• Learn about our programs, meet our staff, and hear from past program participants
• Celebrate 2 of our first board directors, Dr. Atyia Martin and Charlie Lord in a conversation mediated by WGBH’s Paris Alston

Tickets are $75 / person and are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law

As we enter the Fall season please consider giving your tree continued weekly watering until the end of October. Temperatures are starting to cool, but newly planted trees still need water until the ground freezes. Young trees are vulnerable to the dry soil conditions of the urban environment. Because of this it’s important to provide weekly watering from the Spring thaw to the Winter Freeze. The temperatures might feel pleasant, but young trees are still thirsty.

We are seeking a Director of Finance

The Director of Finance will lead, oversee, and implement all financial systems at Speak for the Trees. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Finance will supervise all financial components of the organization and will be responsible for developing, adapting, and implementing strong and sustainable financial and operational systems. The Director of Finance will also ensure that the finance, accounting, and compliance systems are people-centered, equity-focused, holistically aligned with the organization and staff, and efficient. This person will also be collaborative, detail-oriented, and solution-focused, exhibit grace under pressure, welcome diverse perspectives, be committed to an inclusive learning environment for staff, and value joy and humor. This is an extraordinary and unique opportunity for an individual committed to environmental justice and mission-driven work.