About Us

BOB! hosts various annual events, including a tree walk in different areas of Burlington, an Awesome Tree contest, and a winter workshop with expert speakers. We also hold a tree sale offering affordable, bare-root trees.

Our Tree Keepers Program encourages residents to care for local trees and seek advice from BOB! or the city's urban forester. Trees provide numerous environmental benefits, including cleaner air, stormwater management, and improved temperatures. Join us in keeping Burlington green!

• Planted and cared for over 2,570 trees in the Burlington Community Tree Nursery, with the help of hundreds and volunteers.

• Transplanted more than 1,704 trees from the Community Nursery to the streets and parks of Burlington and Essex , saving the city thousands of dollars annually.

• Organized planting of memorial trees to honor the loss of local citizens and the victims of 9/11.

• Coordinated programs to enlist the help of students from Champlain College, University of Vermont and several local middle and high schools.

• Wrote grants to generate funds to support tree planting and educational activities.

• Organized and hosted 20 Tree Walks in Burlington, producing brochures with maps for over 360 trees.

• Recruited over 230 Tree Keepers and organized 15 training seminars on tree care and planting.

• Held 10 Winter Tree Talks with expert speakers, including Bill McGibben, Warren Spinner, and Bill Mares.

• Organized the 2019 Winter Tree Talk at the VT Flower Show on "Emerald Ash Borer" with Nancy Knox, Elise Schadler, and V.J. Comai.

• Hosted tours of the BOB! Community Tree Nursery for UVM Forestry Camp and Master Gardener Program participants, led by experts.

• Spoke to Champlain College Environment class about Branch Out Burlington!

• Collaborated with UVM students to create educational materials on Lakeview Cemetery's flora and fauna.

• Hosted 20 Awesome Tree Contests, identifying over 300 of Burlington's tallest, widest, and most beautiful trees.

• Held 13 Annual Tree Sales, selling nearly 3,645 trees and donating over 400 to local non-profits.

• Co-sponsored the 2014 Tree Climbing Competition by the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arborists in Oakledge Park.

• Provided 200 seedlings and saplings to St. Michael’s College Environmental Studies Program for their riparian tree planting initiative, with plans for future donations.

• Supplied 200 seedlings and saplings to Burlington Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront's Forest Restoration Program.

• Donated $2,500 to Feeding Chittenden and $2,000 to Spectrum during the 2020 pandemic to support increased demand.

• Provided on-going care to Burlington’s street trees and green spaces, monitoring the health of hundreds of street trees; pruning off suckers and broken branches.Item description