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Plant and Protect

Urban and Community-Serving Nursery Project

U.S. Nursery Inventory, Tree Selection, and Workforce Development with the USDA Forest Service’s Reforestation Nursery and Genetic Resource Unit

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Nurseries are at the core of urban and community forestry work and play a vital role in determining the trajectory of urban tree canopy growth and species composition. However, until recently, a comprehensive national assessment of—and customized resources for—these nurseries and the communities they serve has been lacking.

The Morton Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative urban and community forestry program and ArbNet, the international community of arboreta, are leading a nationwide collaboration to enhance the availability of climate-resilient trees for urban and community forestry. Funded by a cost share grant from the USDA Forest Service’s Reforestation, Nursery, and Genetic Resources (RNGR) unit, this effort involves assessing the RNGR nursery inventory and expanding it with additional resources focused on urban and community-serving nurseries, tree acquisition, and workforce development.

A major priority is making sure these solutions identified and developed through this project are both practical and inclusive. Given the historical underrepresentation of disadvantaged communities in urban forestry careers, we will take a community-centered approach to identify workforce gaps and expand opportunities in urban nursery development, management, and tree care.

Project Partners

To ensure this work is customized and relevant to the rich diversity of regions across the U.S., we’ve partnered with the following organizations, along with an ever growing list of additional regional and community-based stakeholders.

Chicago Botanic Garden
Cleveland Metroparks
International Society of Arboriculture
Montana Urban & Community Forestry Association
National Association of State Foresters–Urban and Community Forestry Committee
Rocky Mountain College
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Tree Pittsburgh
University of Washington Botanic Gardens

Project Outcomes

By the end of this three-year project, we will have developed:

  • A final project report detailing our assessment findings related to urban and community serving nurseries, tree species selection for a changing climate, and workforce development in the field
  • An updated RNGR nursery directory that includes urban and community serving nurseries across the country
  • Customized tree species recommendation lists for urban and community forestry practitioners across the country, ensuring that tree species recommendations are both climate-ready and culturally relevant for each region.
  • Curated urban and community forestry resource page on the RNGR website focused on resources and tools to support climate-ready tree species selection, career training, and workforce development in the urban and community serving nursery field

Funding for this project is provided by the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program.

Project Focus Groups and Nationwide Assessment Survey

A key part of this initiative is engaging regionally-based focus groups to identify challenges and opportunities specific to urban-serving nurseries. Through these discussions, we will assess gaps in species availability, barriers to acquiring climate-adapted trees, and limitations in workforce development. By addressing these challenges, we aim to support nurseries in expanding their capacity, improving diversity in the urban forestry workforce, and ensuring longterm success for growing trees that thrive in changing environments.

The focus group discussions will inform the development of a broader, nationwide survey in fall 2025 that will ensure we are capturing both the breadth and depth of the urban and community serving nursery practitioners and stakeholders. The findings from the focus groups and surveys will be combined with the latest science and resources on climate-adapted tree species selection (identified and curated through the project team) and guide development of our project deliverables, ensuring they are thorough, inclusive, and regionally relevant.

If you are interested in potentially participating in the focus groups and/or assessment survey, please reach out to Katrina Holland at kholland@mortonarb.org.