Participants in Western Reserve Land Conservancy’s tree steward program completed their training by planting trees in Union-Miles in March 2025.
Participants in Western Reserve Land Conservancy’s tree steward program completed their training by planting trees on a lot in Union-Miles in March 2025. Credit: Frank W. Lewis / Signal Cleveland

If you care about trees (and you really should!), the next few weeks offer multiple opportunities to show up for them in Cleveland.

Some events will even give you one to take home. Don’t worry, planting them isn’t that hard.

To keep up with everything tree-related in Cleveland, subscribe to the Cleveland Tree Coalition’s newsletter or follow the group on Facebook and Instagram.

Native Tree Giveaway

Friday, April 10, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

West Side Market, 1979 W. 25th St.

Cleveland Public Library and FirstEnergy are giving away 200 native tree saplings. Choose from redbud (Cercis canadensis), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), or buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). For more information, call 216-623-2921 or email OPS@cpl.org.

Cleveland Nonviolence Network Tree March

Saturday, April 11, beginning at 10 a.m.

The Cleveland Nonviolence Network is looking for 100 people to register to adopt a tree and to march with the saplings to oppose war spending and support a peaceful future in which people care about and for the planet. The march will begin at Langston Hughes Library, 10200 Superior Ave., then head westward across Rockefeller Park to Brookdale Orchard’s newest garden at East 86th Street and Wade Park Avenue. Click here for more information.

Tree Steward Planting Lab

Saturday, April 11, 9 a.m. to noon

Help Western Reserve Land Conservancy plant 60 trees in the Mt. Carmel area of the Buckeye Woodhill neighborhood. Register for more information.

Earth Day Celebration

Saturday, April 11, 2 to 4 p.m.

RevLove Urban Farm, 12301 Imperial Ave., Cleveland

Activities for all ages including tree planting and eco-friendly crafts. Register here.

Tree Talk Tuesday Webinar: The Birds and the Trees

Tuesday, April 14, 12 to 1 p.m.

Learn about the importance of birds and their migration and discover how arborists play a crucial role in bird conservation. Presented by the Ohio Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. Register here.

Tree Planting on MLK Boulevard

Saturday, April 18, 9 a.m. to noon

Help Western Reserve Land Conservancy plant 60 trees on MLK Boulevard in the Buckeye Woodhill neighborhood. Register for more information.

We Speak for the Trees: Poetry Reading and Exhibit Closing Reception

Saturday, April 18, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Eastman Reading Garden at Cleveland Public Library Main Branch, 325 Superior Ave.

Click here for more information and to register.

Reforest Our City 10-Year Celebration

Friday, April 24, 10:30 a.m. to noon

Thurgood Marshall Green, 1601 E. 85th St.

Celebrate the tenth anniversary of Western Reserve Land Conservancy’s Reforest Our City program, which has planted more 17,000 trees in Northeast Ohio. Register here.

Cleveland Botanical Garden Community Day

Friday, April 24, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

11030 East Blvd.

Free admission, music, tours, kids’ activities, community resource fair and seedling giveaway. Click here for more information.

Making the Most of Your Tree: Soft Landings Garden Class

Sunday, April 26, 1 to 2 p.m.

Blue Jay Retail, 3228 Lorain Ave.

Learn how to plant a “soft landings” garden beneath a tree and why this is one of the best ways to support biodiversity in your yard. Buy tickets ($10) here.

Seed Library

Friday, May 1, 3 to 4 p.m.

Harvard-Lee branch of Cleveland Public Library, 16918 Harvard Ave.

Visit the monthly seed library to select up to four free seed packets. Call 216-623-6990 for more information.

Slavic Village Tree Planting

Saturday, May 2, 9 a.m. to noon

Help Western Reserve Land Conservancy plant 20 trees on Nursery Avenue in the Slavic Village neighborhood. Click here for more information and to register.

Tremont West Tree Giveaway

Friday, May 8, starting at 3 p.m.

Tremont West, 2406 Professor Ave.

Cleveland residents can claim a free tree to plant at home, available first-come, first-served with no reservations needed. A selection of 100 native shrubs and small trees will be available, including Bayberry, Bitternut Hickory, Cottonwood, Yellow Buckeye and more.

Shade the Street: Broadview Road Tree Planting

Saturday, May 9, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Help Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation plant trees on Broadview Road between Pearl and Valley. Register to get the meeting spot.

Associate Editor (he/him)
Important stories are hiding everywhere, and my favorite part of journalism has always been the collaboration, working with colleagues to find the patterns in the information we’re constantly gathering. I don’t care whose name appears in the byline; the work is its own reward. As Batman said to Commissioner Gordon in “The Dark Knight,” “I’m whatever Gotham needs me to be.”