Develop a Workforce

Urban forests depend on a skilled workforce to thrive. With an increasingly urgent need to close the Tree Equity gap, this moment offers an opportunity to recruit and train a new generation of urban forestry professionals who better reflect the communities where Tree Equity is most needed.

Start by building a network of workforce partners, then assess your community’s workforce landscape to identify concrete actions your coalition can take to build awareness, train workers and cultivate a robust ecosystem of Tree Equity professionals.

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Networking for Workforce Development

Suggested Time: 4 weeks

Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Partcipants: Led by core program partners with input from diverse community and workforce networks

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Workforce Review

Suggested Time: 2–4 weeks

Level of Difficulty: Challenging

Partcipants: Workforce Committee members and workforce development professionals

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Workforce Operations Action Planning

Suggested Time: 1–2 weeks

Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Partcipants: Key staff working on workforce development

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Workforce Training

Suggested Time: 1–2 weeks

Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Partcipants: Key staff working on workforce development, with input from training partners, reentry programs and employers

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Building the Future Through K-12 Engagement

Suggested Time: 1–2 weeks

Level of Difficulty: Moderate

Partcipants: Career pathways professionals, K–12 educators and administrators, Opportunity Youth program coordinators

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Networking for Workforce Development

Workforce development in urban forestry should be treated as a shared responsibility, not a siloed effort. You’ll need to work with trusted community partners to identify potential candidates, employers, training organizations and service providers. With a strong network, you can not only connect people to opportunity but also foster broader buy-in and collaboration that is essential for advancing Tree Equity.

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Activity Steps

Track potential partners and build your network using the Workforce Partners List Worksheet.

(Optional) Develop a full contact database by modifying our Contact List Template from Toolkit 2.

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Build a Workforce Committee to coordinate collaboration and long-term workforce strategies.

Workforce Review

Your Workforce Committee’s first collaborative action should be to conduct a Workforce Review. This process provides a data-informed understanding of the current workforce landscape, highlighting where gaps exist and opportunities for growth. By gathering input from multiple sectors, you will be able to design workforce initiatives that are responsive, equitable and targeted to the needs of your community.

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Activity Steps

Define the scope of your Workforce Review — include geographic focus, sectors and time frame.

Collect workforce data and insights from training providers, employers and community partners.

Use your findings to identify strengths, gaps and actionable recommendations for workforce development.

Workforce Operations Action Planning

Understanding your current strengths and limitations will help you identify concrete actions you can take to build workforce initiatives that align with your mission, capacity and community impact goals. Any organization or partner in your network can use this self-assessment tool to identify their readiness, strengthen capacity and plan next steps to collaborate and grow their role in workforce development.

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Activity Steps

Complete the Workforce Operations Self-Assessment to evaluate your organization’s readiness to add or expand urban forestry workforce programs.

Invite workforce partners in your network to complete the assessment and share insights.

Workforce Training

Training programs should connect participants directly to employment opportunities, build technical and transferable skills, and include the wraparound supports needed to ensure lasting success for all participants. This exercise will help you design engaging, accessible training experiences that prepare participants for real jobs in urban forestry and are inclusive of communities historically underrepresented in the green workforce.

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Activity Steps

Review the guidance on best practices for designing an urban forestry workforce training.

Build out activity plans for future training sessions, including wraparound support services, using the Training Activity Plan.

Incorporate pathways that connect participants to recognized credentials, supportive employers and continuing education opportunities.

Building the Future Through K-12 Engagement

The long-term strength of the Tree Equity workforce depends on inspiring and preparing the next generation. Engaging K–12 students and Opportunity Youth (young people ages 16–24 who are not currently in school or working) creates intergenerational impact as they share knowledge with families, inspire reentry pathways and strengthen community-wide awareness of green workforce opportunities.

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Activity Steps

Identify partners already engaging K–12 and Opportunity Youth. Evaluate reach and mission alignment.

Select activities that introduce green careers using the Green Careers and Activities Library, or create customized opportunities.

Match activities and messaging that resonate with youth, educators and mentors.