Trees for Missoula

08/04/2026

From our friends at the Montana Urban and Community Forestry Association. Check out their resources about the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) - including how to protect your home and property. Learn about the home ignition zone and how to balance tree planting (with appropriate species and spacing) and home hardening.

With the recent fire destruction in Spokane let's take some time and look at Montana's urban and rural fire protection this season. You can be prepared with "WUI", the Wildland Urban Interface. The MUCFA website is a wealth of information. Check it out, be prepared and save lives and property!
https://www.mucfa.net/wui-trees

08/02/2026

Reminder! This fantastic arboretum tour is this Tuesday 8/4 at 5:30 PM on the University of Montana campus in Missoula. We hope you join us!

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Calling all tree enthusiasts and literature fanatics!

Join us on Tuesday, August 4th for an inspiring arboretum tour with Robert Stubblefield, Director of UM's Creative Writing BFA program, for an evening of stories about and amongst the trees.

Meet at The Root at 5:30 PM ~ all are welcome!

07/27/2026

It's hot out there and your trees are thirsty!

Missoula's urban trees need extra water, especially when it's hot and dry. Missoula only gets about 14 inches of rainfall per year, and most of our urban trees require 25-35 inches annually. So chances are, your trees could use an extra drink!

How much water your tree needs depends on the species and age of the tree (younger trees require more) and you can find detailed watering information here: https://www.treesformissoula.org/watering-trees-methods

BUT, a good general rule of thumb when it's hot and dry is an hour-long slow soak 3 times per week.

Some watering methods: set your hose on a slow flow at the base of the tree, set up a sprinkler next to your tree, slowly release a 5-gallon bucket of water around the tree, or install a water bag on smaller trees. However you do it, your trees will appreciate extra hydration.

Thank you for taking care of your trees!

07/22/2026

Calling all tree enthusiasts and literature fanatics!

Join us on Tuesday, August 4th for an inspiring arboretum tour with Robert Stubblefield, Director of UM's Creative Writing BFA program, for an evening of stories about and amongst the trees.

Meet at The Root at 5:30 PM ~ all are welcome!

07/07/2026

Very cool arboretum tour this Thursday, July 9th, 5:30pm! Meet at the Root - between the Oval & the UC on the UM campus.

Take a journey through the eons, from a tree's perspective! This tour will be led by Kallie Moore, the Collections Manager of the University of Montana's Paleontology Center. She'll take guests to view some of the arboretum's living fossils to learn how they have adapted to survive for over 200 million years.

The tour will last about an hour and a half and will end at the university's fossil collection, where guests will see fossil specimens of some of the trees seen during the tour.

This tour is free and open to the public.

06/22/2026

Tomorrow!! Don't miss out on Dr. LaPier's Ethnobotany of Trees tour at the State of Montana Arboretum. Meet at 5:30 PM at The Root (west side of the University Center on UM campus).

Renowned Ethnobotanist, writer, and historian Rosalyn LaPier will introduce us to some of the trees found throughout the arboretum and their myriad of traditional and Indigenous uses.

This is going to be a good one. :) This tour is free and open to the public. Hope to see you there!

06/09/2026

Mark your calendars! The first State of Montana arboretum tour of the summer is Tuesday, June 23rd, 5:30 - 7:00 PM, University of Montana campus.

The arboretum committee is honored to have renowned ethnobotanist, writer, and historian Rosalyn LaPier lead the Ethnobotany of Trees tour. Dr. LaPier will introduce us to some of the trees found throughout the arboretum and their myriad of traditional and Indigenous uses.

This tour is free, open to the public, and not to be missed! We hope to see you there!

05/26/2026

Last week, we helped Missoula Downtown plant five new trees in empty tree wells on Ryman & Broadway. It was a team effort to dig out old dirt and debris, plant properly sized trees, and fill in with new soil and top with mulch.

As much of downtown is a heat island, we're excited to have a few new trees to offer shade, beauty, and countless other climate and health benefits to the neighborhood. This is just the beginning -- stay tuned for more collaborative tree planting efforts downtown!

Lots of people made this planting possible! Thank you to Jack, Ray, and Spencer from Missoula Downtown & Karen Sippy for planning and executing the planting; Marie, Ben, & Robert from Missoula Parks and Recreation Urban Forestry for their sage wisdom and guidance; Adam & team from Urban Forestry for hauling away the old dirt, and , Lohn & Robinson, PLLP for keeping the trees watered!

05/19/2026

Last week, with help from volunteers and the Missoula Parks and Recreation Urban Forestry department, we planted seven trees in Missoula's Northside neighborhood!

These plantings are part of our tree equity initiative, funded by the Montana DNRC, to plant trees in neighborhoods with low tree canopy.

We planted bur oaks, red oaks, and linden trees, which will provide shade to this "heat island" - a hot spot in an urban area.

We're so grateful to Austin Amestoy with Montana Public Radio for covering our work on urban trees + climate resilience!

You can read his story about our tree planting day here: https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2026-05-18/missoula-nonprofit-plants-trees-to-grow-climate-resilience

📸: Trees for Missoula & Cate Campbell

05/14/2026

Check out this cool class with Montana Natural History Center!

A Beginner’s Guide to Drawing Trees with Jason Poole

When: Saturday, May 23, 2026, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.,
Where: Montana Natural History Center
Cost: $45 MNHC members/$50 non-members.

For details and to register, visit https://www.montananaturalist.org/event/learn-to-draw-trees-with-jason-poole/