TREES PLEASE is the sole nonprofit tree-planting organization in Pueblo and the city’s biggest advocate for our urban forest. We have long played a critical role in supporting the Pueblo Parks Department with fundraising for new trees and tree maintenance as well as providing volunteer labor to help with planting and tree care. We were also instrumental in establishing a city tree farm with Pueblo Parks in 2014. To date, 400 tree saplings have been planted at the farm and later harvested and planted in public spaces throughout the city of Pueblo.

Since 1989, TREES PLEASE has planted nearly 5,500 trees in Pueblo’s parks, greenways, streetscapes and school grounds. We have raised over $350,000 from foundations, grants, city funds, and individual donors. Some of our major planting projects include:

This year began a new chapter for TREES PLEASE. One of our goals was to broaden our community engagement and outreach efforts. Our board members and volunteers helped to staff our outreach booth at 3 major events in Pueblo: the Western Landscape Symposium at PCC in March, the inaugural Clubcon event at Sangre de Cristo Arts Center in April, and the first annual Steel City Arkansas River Festival at Waterworks Park in July. We distributed tree care information and children’s activity pages, recruited volunteers, and even had a raffle to win a free tree! We enjoyed meeting many new people who share our passion for trees.

A healthy urban forest is only one part of a thriving community. A healthy watershed is another part of this equation. TREES PLEASE volunteers and board members participated in both The Great American Cleanup in May and Creek Week in October, partnering with the Fountain Creek Watershed District to help pick up trash along two sections of the Fountain Creek trail. We also teamed up with Trout Unlimited and Colorado Parks & Wildlife In March and April to harvest and plant willow cuttings on a section of the Arkansas River below Waterworks Park. It was inspiring to work with these other groups and make connections with those who share our commitment to environmental stewardship.

In March we teamed up with the Pueblo Parks Department and students from South High School to plant 32 trees along the Northern Ave. parkway. The trees were harvested from the city’s tree farm and were planted along an open, tree-less stretch in front of South High School’s stadium. We had a blast with the students and are grateful for our long-standing partnership with the Parks Department!

In April, to celebrate both Earth Day and Arbor Day, we wanted to do a planting that contained an educational component and also served to inspire the next generation of urban forest advocates. We worked with 8 students from the Nature and Wildlife Discovery Center’s Outdoor Explorations Program to plant 6 trees at the Raptor Rehabilitation Center. It was not easy digging, but the students were very enthusiastic and we were impressed by their hard work! As these trees mature, they will provide much-needed shade for the raptors being rehabilitated at the center, as well as for the volunteers and staff who care for them.

As part of our efforts to promote Tree Equity, we wanted to find a way to get trees directly into the hands of Pueblo residents so that more people can experience the benefits of trees close to home. Thanks to generous funding from The Southern Colorado Community Foundation and Black Hills Energy, we were able to partner with the Arbor Day Foundation to launch our very first community tree distribution program, the Community Canopy Program. For our pilot year we targeted The Grove and Eastwood Heights, two neighborhoods with significantly low tree canopy. Residents in these neighborhoods were able to reserve trees in advance, choosing from 5 different species. We gave away over 100 free trees at local events in each neighborhood in mid-September, complete with tree planting & care instructions, wood mulch, and buckets for watering. Our dedicated board members and volunteers helped plant trees for those who required assistance. We hope to continue this program in 2026 and beyond!

TREES PLEASE has officially joined thousands of other Colorado nonprofits on coloradogives.org! This is the easiest way for our supporters to donate directly to our mission ALL YEAR LONG! You can view our current campaigns and give any time of year on our organization’s page: https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/Trees-Please.

Our 2025 Colorado Gives Day campaign from Nov. 1 - Dec. 9 raised $1,385! We want to thank everyone who donated to help us grow Pueblo’s tree canopy into a thriving urban forest!

If you are able, please consider making a year-end gift to TREES PLEASE to enable us to continue advocating for a greener, healthier Pueblo - now and for future generations.

Jean Latka, co-founder of TREES PLEASE and prominent local ceramic artist, is generously donating all proceeds from her pottery sales to TREES PLEASE. This is truly a win-win scenario where you can own some of Jean’s beautiful, unique pottery AND support tree planting in Pueblo!

Thank you, Jean! 💚

We are in need of volunteers to help with our 2026 planting projects! Please reach out to us to find out how you can be involved.