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woman and young girl working as citizen foresterA woman and young girl working together outdoors as citizen foresters

Volunteer and become a Citizen Forester

Urban nature thrives when we’re connected

Citizen Forester is a way for anyone to join in and show support for our mission to plant trees, look after trees and create a culture of trees. Citizen Forester is open to everyone in Greater Manchester. Our region is one of the most diverse in the country, and so we passionately believe in connecting all communities and individuals to their urban forest.

Citizen Foresters are united by a desire to show their support for what we do. We want to harness the collective power of people by bringing together those who are super-passionate about trees and climate change, with those of us who are perhaps seeking to rekindle a connection to trees and nature, for better health, wellbeing and life prospects.

As a Community Forest, people are at the heart of what we do.

Read more about community engagement

 

What is Citizen Forester?

Citizen Forester is our main way of engaging with communities and refers to all our public volunteering offers and engagement work. Citizen Forester aims to achieve the following outcomes:

  • Improve the quality of the urban forest to benefit all that engage with it.
  • Improve the quality of life for people who participate through local connections to woodlands and green spaces.
  • Provide a positive and practical way for people to feel part of a movement, taking positive action for Greater Manchester in tackling the climate and biodiversity emergency.

There is lots of evidence that shows that human beings need access to the natural world. There is further evidence that suggests that nature-based activities that encourage interaction with the natural world provide even more health benefits – through mindfulness contact with nature, increased physical activity and a deeper connection with other people (or conversely some on your own to reflect!). 

Citizen Forester provides a way for people to access these health and wellbeing benefits through participation. 

For those who want to build on the skills learnt as part of Citizen Forester we also offer our Green Skills programme

 

mother and child being shown tree planting by member of city of trees team

Frequently asked questions

It is inclusive and open to all, and we aim to create an experience that is both fun and enjoyable whilst addressing some of our bigger challenges around employment, health and wellbeing, inequality, climate change and nature recovery.  It seeks to create the right opportunities for everyone.

Citizen Foresters can get involved and show their support for City of Trees in lots of ways!  This might typically involve volunteering time and getting hands dirty taking on practical conservation jobs such as tree planting, woodland management and neighbourhood greening projects.  It may also include more technical and special activities such as i-tree surveying, tree disease ID.

Some people simply show their support by just spreading the word about how good trees are and pledging their support through a personal donation or showing off our brand.

People’s motivation for taking part in Citizen Forester varies wildly – all are welcome.  Naturally, we have nature lovers who flock to take part, but we also have total newbies to environmental volunteering and those who are seeking to change their life course, by feeling better mentally, physically or socially.

If you’d like to find out more about our Citizen Forester programme then please get in touch with our team and they’d be happy to answer any questions you may have!

Contact us

More ways to take action as an individual