Speak for the Trees, Boston Expands Workforce Development Initiatives for Young People in Boston Pursuing Urban Forestry
November 14, 2025 – BOSTON, MA – Speak for the Trees, Boston (SFTT) is building a comprehensive approach to achieving Tree Equity, one that weaves together tree care with green job workforce development. New initiatives in 2025 highlights SFTT’s commitment to cultivating the next generation of urban forest professionals through a dedicated fellowship program and strategic collaboration with local partners like PowerCorpsBOS.
Lilian Bonilla-Reyes gave a poster presentation on growing Tree Equity through our NeighborWoods program at the Bridging Communities with Hope: Environmental Justice Conference hosted by UMass Boston in 2025.
In June 2025, SFTT welcomed Lily Bonilla-Reyes as its inaugural Urban Forestry Fellow, launching a program aimed at supporting new urban forest professionals in Boston. Just one day after Lily was selected for the fellowship, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) notified SFTT that the three-year funding commitment that supported this initiative was terminated. In a show of dedication to the program, the SFTT Board of Directors voted unanimously to honor the fellowship commitment for the first year and fully support Lily in her role.
“Lily brings passion, skill, and deep community commitment to her work every single day,” said David Meshoulam, SFTT Executive Director and Co-Founder. “We remain committed to nurturing talent like Lily’s, especially in communities that have been historically excluded from the environmental field.”
The Urban Forestry Fellowship program model, developed and supported by the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN), provides advanced education, mentorship, and financial support for early-career professionals of color working in urban forestry. Fellows take coursework for International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certification, receive professional mentorship, and expand outreach and environmental justice work in local neighborhoods.
Bonilla-Reyes is a native of East Boston and attended the Mount Ida Campus of UMASS Amherst, studying arboriculture. She explained that she is dedicated to learning more about trees and informing her community about the vital importance of trees as public utilities. Their passion is fueled by their love for nature and desire to involve more people of color to pursue careers in the green industry. Bonilla-Reyes graduated from PowerCorpsBOS, Boston’s Green Industry Workforce Development Program, in 2023 and began working as SFTT’s Tree Care Associate in May 2024.
Bonilla-Reyes’s unique experience helped launch a new successful collaboration between SFTT and PowerCorpsBOS. In August, the organizations teamed up at Ross Playground in Hyde Park where twenty-five PowerCorpsBOS members joined SFTT’s three-person team to mulch and water fourteen trees, remove debris, and learn valuable tree-care techniques. The collaboration highlights the benefit of bringing together trained youth from workforce development programs with established teams to enhance both skill-building and project execution.
“This collaboration is a perfect example of how partnerships help grow Tree Equity in Boston,” said Meshoulam. “It’s a win-win-win. PowerCorpsBOS members gain hands-on experience, give back to their communities, and provide our organization with additional people power from individuals trained in green infrastructure—all with the goal of growing Boston’s climate resilience.”
The strength of the partnership between the organizations is further demonstrated by the fact that two SFTT Tree Care team members—Bonilla-Reyes and Tree Care Intern Jordan Scott—are program graduates. Their shared experience provides informal mentorship opportunities for current participants.
Our tree care team ready to plant on a cold November day. (L to R: Jon, Lily, Ro, Ian, Jaden)
“Without the support of these organizations I believe that it would’ve been more difficult for me to find my footing in this career path,” said Bonila-Reyes. “POC [People of Color] are far and few in the industry. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have met community leaders, members, and professionals who have inspired me to continue this work.”
The organizations expanded their collaboration in September 2025 through the placement of Ian Barnes-Classen and Ro Nazaire, two PowerCorpsBOS participants enrolled in the Urban Greening track at SFTT. In addition, the PowerCorpsBOS Urban Greening cohorts participated in two tree planting events this fall in Hyde Park, one at Fairview Cemetery and the other at Ross Playground.
Jerel Ferguson, SFTT Director of Community Outreach and Engagement, underscored the power of the partnership, “Having trained PowerCorpsBOS on our tree team really makes a difference. They come in ready to jump in, eager to learn, and give real support. It lets our staff focus more on the big picture while knowing the day-to-day work is being handled well. Plus, it makes the work more rewarding for us too; we get to share what we know, learn from them, and work together with people who bring fresh energy and ideas.”
