Trees Virginia will not be offering academic scholarships in 2022

2021 Trees Virginia Academic Scholarships Awarded!

Congratulations to the following students on receiving a Trees Virginia scholarship award!

• Angela Gaal - George Mason University, MS student in the School of Systems Biology
• Merri Collins - George Mason University, PhD Student Urban Ecology and Conservation Lab
• William Fowler - University of Lynchburg - Bachelors Degree in Environmental Science
• Felicity Zimmerman - Eastern Mennonite University - Environmental Science
• Mackenzie Shull - Dabney Lancaster Community College, Associates Degree Forest Management Technology
• Grace Lumsden-Cook -  Virginia Commonwealth University, Environmental Studies Class of 2021

The Virginia Urban Forest Council (Trees Virginia) is a non-profit group whose mission is to enhance the quality of life through stewardship of our Commonwealth’s urban and community trees. The Council’s Board of Directors, in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Forestry, works vigorously to enhance public awareness, increase professional competence, and bolster political engagement in urban forestry issues. 

In support of these efforts, Trees Virginia has established a scholarship program in urban forestry for eligible students attending Virginia colleges and universities.  Since 2008, Trees Virginia has awarded over $52,000 in scholarships. 

Scholarship Purpose:  To enhance the ranks of future urban forestry professionals by providing financial assistance to students studying urban forestry and related curricula at Virginia colleges and universities.

Scholarship Funding:  In 2021, up to five scholarships totaling $7,500 will be awarded to eligible students attending Virginia colleges and universities.  Depending on applicant qualifications, scholarships will be distributed as follows:

• Two scholarships in the amount of $1,800 each for a graduate student (master's or doctoral) level

• Two scholarships in the amount of $1,600 each for a student seeking a bachelor's degree

• One scholarship in the amount of $700 for a student seeking an associate's degree

Eligibility Requirements:  To be eligible for the scholarships, students must meet the following requirements:

• Currently enrolled full-time at a Virginia college or university

• Majoring in urban forestry or a related discipline (forestry, horticulture, environmental science, biology, landscape architecture, geography. urban planning)

• Successfully completed one academic year of courses (graduate students are exempt from this requirement)

• Possess an overall GPA of 2.5 or greater

Selection Criteria:  The scholarships are awarded to applicants who best demonstrate financial need, academic excellence, and a clear commitment to a career related to urban forestry.  Applications are reviewed by a selection committee appointed by the Board of Directors of the Virginia Urban Forest Council.  The following criteria are considered during the selection process:

• Financial need

• Academic achievements

• Extracurricular activities

• Awards and recognitions

• Employment/Internship history

• Recommendation provided by reference

Application Process

The scholarship application has two parts: 

• An online application to be completed by the student
• An online recommendation to be completed by a reference for the student 

The application will ask you a series of questions about your academic status and career aspirations.  You will also be asked to upload a resume.

The applicant must list in the application the name and email address of a person to serve as a reference, so have this information available at the time of application.  This person should be able to speak about your academic accomplishments and potential for a career related to urban forestry.  Your best options for a reference are an academic advisor, faculty mentor, instructor, or supervisor.  This person will receive an automated email request to complete the recommendation from.

Trees Virginia will not be offering academic scholarships in 2022

Deadlines

The full application (including this online application and the online recommendation form) must be received by 

Scholarship recipients will be notified of their award no later than 

Incomplete applications will not be considered for the scholarship.  

Contact

If you have questions concerning your application or the scholarship in general, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

  Donate to the Paul Revell Municipal Forester Institute (MFI) Scholarship

Trees Virginia has set up a scholarship fund in memory of Paul Revell, Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator at the Virginia Department of Forestry. Paul joined the Virginia Department of Forestry in 1985 and helped start the Urban and Community Forestry Program. In 1994, Paul was appointed Statewide Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator, a position he held until he retired in January 2016.

As Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator, Paul helped several organizations implement significant projects, including greenways, landscape designs, streetscapes, parks, and open spaces. He was the past president of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of International Society of Arboriculture and received that organization’s True Professional Award in 2015. Paul also served for several years on the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council, and helped with the initial funding of the Clinch River Valley Initiative. He received numerous awards and recognition from organizations across Virginia, including the Keep Virginia Beautiful Award, the Southern Group of State Foresters Urban Forestry Award, the National Association of State Foresters Urban Forestry Award, the International Society of Arboriculture True Professional of Arboriculture Award, the VNRLI Gerald P. McCarthy Award for Leadership in Environmental Conflict Resolution, and the Clinch River Valley Initiative Partner of the Year Award. Each award is a testament to Paul's hard work, dedication, commitment, innovation, creativity, public service, and good humor in the face of daunting challenges.

In addition, Paul was on the Board of Directors of Trees Virginia for many years.  Paul died March 17, 2016 after a courageous battle with cancer. These scholarship monies will fund registration for an individual to attend the annual Society of Municipal Arborists Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI).

MFI is an exciting, high-level training opportunity educating professionals in the leadership and managerial aspects of urban forestry. This week-long intensive educational program delivers a challenging opportunity to grow a more successful community tree program.

You can donate by sending a check in to Trees Virginia, 900 Natural Resources Drive, Charlottesville VA 22903 or by using the Donation button on the Trees Virginia website www.treesvirginia.org.

Thanks to  Paul for his dedication and service to the urban forestry community.

• Details on scholarship eligibility and the application process are available at http://urbanforestry.frec.vt.edu/scholarshipsVUFC.shtml

Bonnie Appleton Memorial Fund

Join Trees Virginia and MAC-ISA in a lasting tribute to Dr. Bonnie Appleton’s contributions to arboriculture education and research. 

The Bonnie Appleton Memorial Fund was established at the TREE Fund to honor Dr. Appleton’s passion and advocacy for arboriculture education and research. Since its inception in 2013, we have raised $100,000 for our initial amount to endow an annual scholarship for college juniors or seniors in the green industry field.  We need your help to continue to support this fund so we will be able to provide a scholarship to a deserving student and further the knowledge that Bonnie's research started.

• Read more about Dr. Bonnie Appleton and her lifetime achievements
• Donate to the Bonnie Appleton Memorial Fund (select the third one down) The TREE Fund has different earmark boxes on that link.

Your gift helped us reach our goal of $100,000 to support scholarships for undergraduate students. All gifts are tax deductible.