On a sunny morning in early November, several members of Missouri Conservation Corps, along with Environmental Science students from MU, began unloading 3-gallon, potted trees from the back of a pickup on the corner of Hirth and Donnelly, in central Columbia. The location was chosen based upon data from the 2022 Columbia Heat Map Study, and because it is in a part of our city that needs a boost in the density of the tree canopy. This location is also the home to Columbia’s Karis Church, and to the City Garden School. After the trees were unloaded and the tools were laid out, Pastor Hannah from Karis Church and several teachers from City Garden School came out to join us as we reviewed the logistics of the tree planting event. A few minutes later a large, boisterous group of City Garden students came out to help us as we got ready to plant the new trees.
Before we started planting trees, Columbia Office of Sustainability staff member Nina Thomas gave us all a brief lesson in the importance of trees to public health and to our community. Our MU volunteers from Dr. Kristin Gibson’s Environmental Science class then taught the City Garden students the best way to plant a native tree, and the students broke up into teams to start digging holes for the trees. With the help of City Garden School and Karis Church, and with the skilled assistance of our MU volunteers, Missouri Conservation Corps planted nine native trees around the church, bringing additional canopy to our city and teaching the students the importance of trees and the best methods of tree planting in an urban environment.
In 2026 we hope to work directly with neighbors and with community groups to bring more trees to the neighborhoods in Columbia that need them most. We are thankful for the financial support we have received this year from our friends at Aarow Building for this new project, and for the support and encouragement from the City of Columbia. We are very hopeful that our tree-planting goals in 2026 will receive additional support from our community. We are also interested in sharing information on this program with our volunteers, our partners, and our neighbors in Columbia. If you know of a neighborhood that needs a few trees, or a community organization that is interested in helping us fund and plant trees in urban Columbia, please reach out directly and let us know.
