30 CityTREES
participants can take advantage of professional
development training in resume writing, con-
flict resolution, financial literacy, job shadowing
and green career exploration, and First Aid.
The City was awarded the 2022 UCFS Legacy
Project of the Year for its active support of Growing
Futures and for its Tiny Trees program, through
which tree seedlings—up to five per household—
from the Iowa State Forest Nursery are provided
free of charge to residents for planting on private
property. Folks order their trees then pick them
up from volunteers and staff; about 50,000 Tiny
Trees have been given away so far. "We call it the
'Greenest Drive-Thru' in the City," McQuillan says.
The 2024 list of Tiny Trees giveaway species
included sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua),
Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra), overcup oak
(Quercus lyrata), willow oak (Q. phellos), eastern
redbud (Cercis canadensis), American persimmon
(Diospyros virginiana), American hazelnut (Corylus
americana), and pitlolly pine (Pinus rigida ×
taeda). McQuillan says, "Our Urban Forestry
Project Manager Dan Just is blowing up the
species diversity! It's a huge priority for us."
In Des Moines, a new, decentralized and small-
scale approach to acquiring biodiverse plant
material for street tree use, the Urban Nursery
Program, is going well. Homeowner yards serve
Des Moines, Iowa City Forester Shane McQuillan offers Trees Forever Green Futures participants
a day of professional development including exposure to technology used in urban forestry.
