Tree and Community Garden Engagement Coordinator

Committee: Environment

Cost: $410,000

Location: Citywide.

Short Description: Hire a coordinator to oversee programming and organize volunteers for tree care and community garden maintenance. This new three-year position will promote knowledge and activities for residents of all ages.

Long Description: Help boost residents’ connections with trees by hiring a Tree Engagement and Community Garden Coordinator. This role will foster excitement for the city’s urban canopy and disseminate information about the city’s Urban Forestry Plan, thus increasing transparency and understanding around its implementation. The Engagement Coordinator will be responsible for overseeing volunteer programs for tree care and community garden maintenance, as well as partnering with local organizations to further develop the City’s tree and garden programs. This role will provide a channel for communication between community gardeners and the city and will increase coordination and knowledge sharing among the city’s gardens.

The Engagement Coordinator will also encourage residents to take care of the trees in their neighborhoods, aiding in the success and health of the trees in the longer term. They will create regular newsletters and social media posts, host community-based events like tree walks, work with children and young people, and spread the word about the city’s Urban Forest Friends program. In addition, by building a local movement of tree advocacy and care, the Engagement Coordinator will help foster a deeper sense of community, belonging, and place-making for Cambridge residents of all ages and backgrounds.

We all benefit from street trees and community garden spaces, and we also all have a stake in keeping them healthy. The Department of Public Works already does so much to support our urban canopy, but they need our help, and we in turn need a bridge. The Engagement Coordinator will serve as that bridge, connecting residents with the amazing work already being done and providing an avenue for further stewardship and feedback.

This position will be funded at 30 hours per week with benefits for a three-year period.

From left to right: A Cambridge tree with a Forest Friend’s tag, a Forest Friends tree planting event.