Together we are planting for the future!

Mississippi Park Connection, in partnership with the National Park Service, dozens of partners, and thousands of volunteers, reached a major milestone in 2021: completing our Plant For The Future campaign to plant 15,000 trees and shrubs in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area!

Plant For The Future started as a conversation with land managers, river organizations, and community members in 2017. We heard about dramatic loss of tree canopy due to the emerald ash borer, and issues with cottonwood regeneration. Together we set out to not only begin filling in these gaps with new trees but also to ensure that we planted a compilation of species that would increase biodiversity and resilience to climate change within these urban forests and green spaces.

Partners and volunteers helped us install experimental tree plots to discover best planting practices for cottonwoods; hosted tree nurseries; survey large swaths of forest to create a forest-management assessment with the National Park Service; remove introduced species that overwhelm the floodplain-forest understory; increase plant and tree diversity within the park; fill in large gaps in the tree canopy; and design and install a 1,200-tree, 20-year climate change study at Crosby Farm Regional Park. These combined efforts further our mission of building resilience in urban forests and nurturing the green spaces that enrich our community and connect people to the park.

Those who planted trees, hauled buckets of water, nurtured seedlings, placed tree tubes, and gave advice, moral support, and cash made all the difference. Funders, project partners, land managers, and volunteers truly made this campaign possible. Thank you!

Youth Engagement Through Employment

Our Plant for the Future campaign is supported by our Mississippi River Crew, consisting of high school students, ages 15 to 18, from households at or below 80 percent of the city’s median income. This is possible through a partnership with the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa, and provides meaningful, hands-on conservation projects for high school students during the spring and fall.

The Mississippi River Crew is managed by AmeriCorps Youth Outdoors Crew Members, who are 18 to 25 years old and have an interest in community service and natural resource management.

Through this partnership, youth gain job and career-planning skills and learn about natural resource management, ecology, science, technology, forestry and Minnesota natural and cultural history. They also learn to plan and execute community service projects and lead volunteers.

Project Partners or Funders:

3M, Adaptive Silviculture For Climate Change, City of Cottage Grove, City of Saint Paul, Colorado State University, Conservation Legacy Partners, Dakota County, Dangerous Man Brewing Company, Easy and Company, Eco Adapt, McNeely Foundation, Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary, Minneapolis Park Board, Minneapolis Rotary Club, Minneapolis Rotary Foundation, Minnesota GreenCorps, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Mississippi Park Connection members, Mississippi River Crew, Mortenson Construction, Mortenson Family Foundation, MPCA - EA Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Park Foundation, NEEF, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, Okabena Advisers, Patagonia, Patagonia - Saint Paul, Plantra, Prairie Island Indian Community, Science Museum of Minnesota, Surly Gives a Damn, Tattersall Distillery, Tennant Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, The Raptor Center - University of Minnesota, Three Rivers Park District, Tree Trust, University of Minnesota - Department of Forest Resources, Urban Roots MN, US Forest Service, Wildlife Conservation Society, Xcel Energy

This is a list of all of the different tree species we have planted during our Plant For The Future Campaign, with our amazing, dedicated volunteers and land manager partners:

Accolade Elm
American Elm
American Hazelnut
American Plum
Arrowwood
Autumn Blaze Maple
Bald Cypress
Basswood
Bitternut Hickory
Black Cherry
Black Chokeberry
Black Walnut
Black Willow
Bur oak
Butternut Hickory
Buttonbush
Cedar (white or red)
Chokecherry
Cottonwood
Crabapple
Downy Hawthorn

Eastern Redbud
Eastern Sandcherry
Elderberry
False Indigo
Gooseberry
Gray Dogwood
Hackberry
Highbush Cranberry
Honeylocust
Ironwood
Kentucky Coffeetree
Leadplant
Matador Maple
Meadow Rose
Musclewood
Nannyberry
New Jersey Teatree
Northern Catalpa
Ohio Buckeye
Pagoda Dogwood
Princeton Elm

Red Maple
Red-oiser Dogwood
Regent Serviceberry
River Birch
Running Serviceberry
Sandbar Willow
Serviceberry
Shagbark Hickory
Silver Maple
Southern Pin Oak
Speckled Alder
St. Croix Elm
Sugar Maple
Swamp White Oak
Sweetgum
Sycamore
Tamarack
Tupelo
White Oak
White Snowberry
Yellow Poplar