Planting
The 5,000th tree went into Clarke Square
A Kentucky coffeetree on S 23rd St, planted by the Carrasco family and four neighbors.
Canopy Tree Corps · Milwaukee
Swamp white oak, N 37th StPlant Day, Oct 3 
Lindsay Heights, planted 2014Twelve years on 
Sherman Park from the water towerOctober 
Five pairs of hands per root ballPlant Day 
Backfill, then tamp with your bootsPlant Day 
Layton Park terraces, replanted2019 to 2022
Putting the shade back, one terrace at a time.
Milwaukee lost 29,000 ash trees to the emerald ash borer. We plant free trees for homeowners on the north and south sides, with neighbors on Saturday mornings, and our paid youth crew waters every one for two summers.
Spring and fall, 2026
Where this year's trees went
We plant where the canopy is thinnest. Every tree below is in a neighborhood with less than 15 percent tree cover.
Planting year 2026, to date
Counts from the planting log, updated after every Plant Day.
See what we plant
Why the terrace
A block with no trees runs ten degrees hotter in July
When the ash trees came down, whole blocks of Harambee and Sherman Park lost their shade in one summer. Sidewalks got hotter and the porches emptied out.
A terrace tree, in the strip between sidewalk and street, is the cheapest cooling the city has. It takes about eight years to cast real shade, which is why we started in 2013.
- Free to homeowners, and to renters with the landlord's OK
- We handle the city terrace permit and Diggers Hotline
- Native and climate-ready species only
- Watered weekly for two summers, free
Four ways in
Pick the one that fits
Get a tree for your terrace or yardRequests open until Nov 14Homeowners and renters
Tell us where you'd like it. A forester visits, marks the spot and helps you choose a species. We plant it on a Saturday and water it for two summers.
Get connectedPlant on a SaturdaySaturdays 9 AM – noonAges 8 and up
Groups of five plant eight to ten trees in a morning. Shovels, gloves and coffee provided. No experience needed.
Get connectedJoin the youth crewJune – August, paidAges 16–21
Twenty-four paid summer jobs watering, mulching and checking every young tree we've planted. $17 an hour and a chainsaw-free arborist certificate.
Get connectedWater a tree on your blockWeekly, May – SeptemberNeighbors
Tree Buddies take one or two young trees near home and log a bucket a week on a card taped to the stake.
Get connectedWhat we promise each tree
The first three years
Planting takes one morning. Getting a tree established takes three summers, and that is where most programs stop paying attention.
Day 1
Planted at the right depth
The root flare sits just above the soil. Too deep is the most common way new trees die.
Winter 1
Mulch and wait
A three-inch ring of mulch, never touching the trunk. The tree spends its first winter growing roots.
Summer 1
Fifteen gallons a week
The youth crew waters every Tuesday from May to September unless it rains an inch.
Summer 2
Stake off, first check
The crew removes the stake, checks for mower damage and logs the tree's health in August.
Year 3
On its own
Roots reach past the planting hole. From here it needs only the occasional summer soak.
From the porch
We lost the big ash out front and the house just baked. Two falls ago the crew put in a hackberry. Now the porch is where we sit again.
From the tree yard
Notes from the season
Fall requests close November 14
After that, the ground freezes and requests roll over to spring planting in April.