Tree Trust, Saint Louis Park

In 1976, Tree Trust was formed to help solve two ongoing problems: dutch elm disease was destroying the urban canopy, and local residents were experiencing the languor of employment and poverty. Tree Trust hired unemployed individuals and trained them to replant the decaying forests in the region. Today, the team builds staircases and retaining walls to prevent erosion, clears buckthorn to help native plants thrive, creates trails for recreational activities, constructs LEED-certified houses, and replaces diseased trees with thousands of new trees every year. The organization also hosts community plantings and employs youth in summer programs to instill an ethic of environmental stewardship. Since its inception, Tree Trust has provided employment training for more than 42,000 people, planted 72,000 trees and shrubs, and educated more than 100,000 students about protecting green spaces.