Virtually single-handedly, this innovative little group has worked to counteract the loss of available funds from the city by recruiting and training volunteers and by independently raising the funds needed to provide the tools and materials used for their very special projects.

The little nonprofit is Our City Forest, which has managed to plant more than 30,000 free trees and to mobilize more than 100,000 resident-volunteers to become involved in its important mission.

The OCF mission is to cultivate a greener, healthier urban environment for all of us in Silicon Valley, while instilling a sense of community by involving the residents in the process of planting and sustaining the urban forest. According to OCF literature, the simple addition of shade trees increases property values, produces clean air (especially needed by children and elderly citizens), and cools the heat of sweltering summers. One tree can lower its surrounding temperature by approximately 10 degrees.

I was recruited by OCF at a local "green" festival by meeting a 5-foot-tall walking, talking tree—the beloved mascot of the OCF staff. The jolly tree, named O2 or The Big Green Oxygen Machine, amused children while handing out brochures to interested teens and adults; the brochures turned out to be invitations to come to share supper and meet his "family" of Tree Amigos. I attended an orientation meeting at the tiny OCF office on Park Avenue. I was delighted to see that almost half of the group present, like me, was 50-plus. A few of us were experienced, longtime gardeners. All of us were there because of our love of trees and the environment.

We met OCF's full-time staff at the orientation: Melanie Kimbel, director of communications and volunteer services; Christian Bonner, operations director and certified arborist; Rhonda Berry, president and CEO; Asma Malik, neighborhood project coordinator; and a few of the experienced Tree Amigo "planting coaches" who accompany new Amigos on training projects. By the end of the fun-filled evening, all of us potential volunteers were interested in taking the 18 hours of free training required to earn the tree-green T-shirt, badge and certificate that would proclaim each of us a certified Tree Amigo.

The training included videos and slide shows, field trips to city problem areas, tree repotting at a tree farm, examination of sickly versus healthy trees, hands-on pruning with arborist-teacher Bonner, and learning which trees were suitable for planting in parking lots, parking strips and parks. The program was an eye-opener for all of us, including the few experienced gardeners. All of us now viewed trees in our urban environment and in our own yards with newly wise eyes.

Even before we had graduated, we were invited to the Saturday planting and pruning expeditions to learn more. We became acquainted with more green-shirted Tree Amigos and the neighborhoods they served. We were approached often by people outside the scheduled service area who were impressed by the Amigos and wanted us to plant and prune for them, too.

Many of the 100 active Amigos have been volunteers for more than nine years; 40 percent of them are seniors, ranging in age from 50 to 80. Two senior volunteers who continued as Tree Amigos into their later years were Rocc Pisano, 91, who finished organizing a neighborhood tree planting from his hospital bed, and Jack Wagnon, 87, who served on the board for OCF. Wagnon believed that "trees are kind of mysterious. They make you feel like you're really in the presence of nature at its best."

Tree Amigos are credited with planting an amazing average of 2,500 trees per year. Three years after planting, nine out of 10 of these trees are still thriving due to high-quality care by OCF, through the use of state-of-the-art techniques taught to every Tree Amigo. Reports show that these trees are also larger and healthier than those planted by service contractors. Grant monies and donations received by OCF are used so efficiently that costs meant to provide for 500 trees are routinely leveraged into 2,000 free trees, including care and advice to their owners during a three-year follow-up to ensure their survival. Trees are always planted and cared for entirely by Amigos when the owner is too elderly or frail to participate in planting.

"Planting a tree," says CEO Rhonda Berry, "means caring about others besides yourself—because it is those who come after who get to enjoy them in their fullest glory."

"Tree Amigos are the heart and soul of OCF," says Melanie Kimbel, who is in charge of volunteer services.

An open meeting for volunteers is scheduled for Jan. 22, 6:15 p.m., for pizza and 6:30 p.m. for the meeting; all are welcome. A new Tree Amigo class begins on Jan. 14 and continues on Jan. 21, 28 and Feb. 4, 6 to 9 p.m., and includes two Saturday sessions on Jan. 24 and Feb. 6, 9 a.m. to noon.

For more information about joining other senior volunteers in classes at OCF, call Melanie Kimbel at 408.998.7337 or email her at mkimbel@ourcityforest.org.