- Buy a tree as a gift for a friend, family member, neighbour or your landlord. (But make sure it’s a wanted gift that will be watered regularly.)
- Suggest that someone plant a tree as a memorial to a loved one that has passed away. Help them plant it and pray for the person.
- Fall is a great time to start trees from seeds or nuts. Plant them in pots you can keep in a cool place indoors. (Research the type of trees you want to start on the internet first – the methods are different for many species. Learn how to tell which seeds or nuts are viable. Some need to stay in pots for up to two years, while others can be planted in the spring.) You may also be able to donate these little trees to your city, or a school.
- Ask your city if you can plant a community orchard in a park or on municipal property.
- Advertise on craigslist or a similar local website. Offer to plant a free tree for someone who promises to care for it. Make sure they know they’ll need to keep watering it regularly, and ask if you can follow up to see how the tree is doing.
- See if your city or town has grants for sustainability or climate change projects, or projects for community health. Apply for a grant to plant trees in your neighbourhood or region. Then advertise by putting up posters in neighbourhood community centers, cafes, etc. to find residents who would like a tree planted in their yard, and who promise to care for it. Ask if you can follow up with them to see how the tree is doing.
- Ask your city parks department if it has a public planting event, such as on National Tree Day, or Tree Appreciation Day. (Or at any other time.)
- Many regions have groups or organizations that plant trees in parks or forested areas. See if you can find one, and join it. Often they also do other things like remove invasive species, or report on wildlife.
- Sponsor a contest in your area. Offer a nice prize for the person who plants the most trees by a certain date.
- If your city has a policy of requiring developers to replace each mature tree that they cut down with one or two saplings, lobby the city to require 10 or more saplings be planted for each mature tree that is killed. Davis, California, requires every “tree inch” that is cut down to be replaced. For instance, if they cut down a 30-inch mature tree, they will need to plant 30 one-inch saplings, or 15 two-inch saplings, etc. This makes it more likely that the ecological services the mature tree was performing, including carbon storing, will be replaced. (You might not be able to take credit for planting the trees, but it’s still worth doing!)
- Donate money to a trustworthy organization that plants trees, either in your own country or a developing country.
Trees outstrip most people in the extent and depth of their work for the public good.”
~Sara Ebenreck