Heartland Tree Alliance
Healthy People Need Healthy Trees
program mission
The mission of Heartland Tree Alliance is to engage people of the Greater Kansas City region to take action and advocate for a healthy community forest.
Heartland Tree Alliance educates people about all the critically important benefits created by urban trees, why these trees need extra care, and the proper ways to give them that care. We also organize planting events, pruning events and tree care workdays so people can get involved.
Since 2005, HTA volunteers have donated over 10,000 hours of time! The efforts put forth from these volunteers has enabled HTA to plant 13,697 trees, prune 2,674, and maintain an additional 2,446 trees by mulching or removing tree stakes.
heartland tree alliance projects
Learn more about how you can get involved with Heartland Tree Alliance.
Contribute to ourTREE FUND
Shape the future of our region's urban tree canopy by making a donation to the Heartland Tree Alliance's Tree Fund.
Every dollar donated supports efforts across the metropolitan region.
The Heartland Tree Alliance's Tree Fund supports tre planting events and education programs across the Kansas City region. Once your city's fund reaches $1,000 we will coordinate a volunteer planting events with your city forester.
learn moreheartland tree alliance 2015 accomplishments
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657
volunteer hours worked
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1,281
trees planted
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45
citizens trained as Tree Keepers
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1,121
youth educated about trees
VOLUNTEER with HTA
Join us in creating a sustainable community.
Calling all tree lovers! Volunteer with Bridging The Gap’s Heartland Tree Alliance (HTA) program! At our workdays, we explain why it’s important to maintain and increase our urban tree canopy, then we split into small groups to prune, plant or mulch small trees. We work throughout the metropolitan area, on both sides of the state line.
1,500 people volunteer with BTG each year. Be part of the movement!
find volunteer opportunitiesHTA SPEAKERS
Heartland Tree Alliance can provide a speaker for your next meeting! Our presentations are designed for neighborhood associations, businesses, and other groups in the Kansas City region.
request a speaker
HTA Steering Committee
Kim Bomberger
NC and NE District Community Forester
Kansas Forest Service
Dustin Branick
Horticulture and Forestry Supervisor
City of Leawood Kansas
Corey Creed
Horticulture Specialist
University of Missouri Extension
Chuck Conner
Community Forester
Missouri Department of Conservation
Leslie Dick
Belton Tree Board Member/Volunteer
Belton Missouri
Jared Lind
Park Maintenance Crew Leader
City of Lenexa Kansas
Lynn Loughary
Horticulture Extension Agent
Kansas State Extension Services
Janese Reed
Small Business Owner
Kansas City Missouri
Wendy Sangster
Community Forester
Missouri Department of Conservation
Jim Summers
Resident/Volunteer
Kansas City Missouri
Geoff Vossen
Transmission and Distribution Vegetation Manager
Kansas City Power & Light
Robert Whitman
Associate Vice President, Landscape Architect
Gould Evans Architects
Chris Wilson
Open Space Manager
City of Liberty Missouri
Heartland Tree Alliance Staff
- Sarah Crowder
Program Manager, ISA Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist SO-5327AM
hta sponsors + partners
What's happening now
Care for Trees
How To Give Your Tree Long Term Care Throughout the Year: Complete planting of bare-rooted trees. Take the tree if the site is subject to windy conditions. Remove suckers-shoots rising from ground level, directly from the roots. Keep newly-planted trees moist at the roots during dry periods. Spray foliage with water from time to time. When … Continued
Emerald Ash Borer Found at Staley High School
On May 18th, several Tree Keeper volunteers were pruning trees at Staley High in North Kansas City. The school was opened 8 years ago and has a beautiful campus with many young trees. While pruning for low limbs, dead limbs and other structural issues, the volunteers noticed that many of the trees were ash. This included about … Continued
Now Available! Trees are Terrific for 4, 5 &
Dear 4th-, 5th- and 6th grade teachers, Our KS College and Career Ready curriculum, TREES ARE TERRIFIC is now available for your classrooms! Free in-classroom activities about the importance of trees and the role they play in a healthy community. Programming can range from 30 minutes to 60 minutes based on your classroom schedule. There are … Continued
Large trees can help with flooding during rainy
Trees and forests reduce stormwater runoff by capturing and storing rainfall in the canopy and releasing water into the atmosphere through evapotranspiration. In addition, tree roots and leaf litter create soil conditions that promote the infiltration of rainwater into the soil. This helps to replenish our groundwater supply and maintain streamflow during dry periods. The … Continued