Invasive Species Awareness and Why Tree Trust Is Growing Generations of Environmental Stewards
This year’s National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW) takes place February 23–27. For Tree Trust, this week is an opportunity to highlight some of the most serious threats to Minnesota’s trees and natural spaces. Invasive species, whether destructive insects or aggressive plants, can weaken forests, reduce biodiversity, and permanently alter our landscapes. NISAW is a reminder that protecting our natural environment requires both immediate action and long-term investment.
A Legacy of Action and Investment
Fifty years ago, one notably destructive invasive species was a catalyst for Tree Trust’s founding. When Tree Trust was founded in 1976, the American Elm tree was disappearing quickly. Dutch Elm disease, a vascular wilt disease caused by the fungus (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi), had entered Minnesota. The disease is carried and spread, largely, by the native elm bark beetle (Hylurgopinus rufipes Eich.) and the European elm bark beetle (Scolytus multistriatus Marsh.). This fungus destroys American Elm trees from the inside out. As Minnesota’s tree canopy and American Elm tree population were shrinking, the 1970s were also a turbulent time for the workforce, especially for young people.
Moved to act, Tree Trust’s founders established a non-profit and set out to work against the loss of Minnesota’s urban forests and arching tree canopies, doing so while also creating real work opportunities for young people. This founding vision still drives Tree Trust’s work today.
Minnesota’s Most Pressing Invasive Threats
The challenges that began with Dutch elm disease in the 1970s persist today with additional known invasive species. Minnesota now faces several species that significantly threaten forests and the urban tree canopy:
- Dutch Elm Disease (DED) – a vascular wilt disease caused by a fungus (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi) that attacks elm trees
- Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) – an insect that attacks all North American ash species
- Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) – a small tree that forms dense stands that dominate ecosystems and displace native species
- Oak Wilt – a vascular wilt disease caused by a fungus (Bretziella fagacearum) that attacks oak trees
These species weaken trees, threaten forests, and reduce biodiversity. To protect Minnesota’s natural areas, these species require ongoing management and attention.
Tree Trust’s Youth Employment Program: A Response to Environmental Threats
One of the ways Tree Trust responds to modern environmental challenges is its Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). While building practical skills for future careers in the green industry and skilled trades, youth participants also take direct action to restore ecosystems and protect Minnesota’s urban forests.
For many youth, SYEP is their first job. Hands-on conservation work builds environmental awareness while strengthening essential life and workplace skills such as teamwork, communication, leadership, and problem-solving. Participants also gain exposure to career pathways in forestry, landscaping, and environmental restoration, fields where skilled workers are increasingly in demand.
By connecting young people with meaningful, community-focused work, Tree Trust empowers them as capable environmental stewards and emerging leaders.
Through SYEP, young people learn to:
- Identify and remove invasive species such as buckthorn
- Restore and support native plant communities
- Care for trees and improve urban forest health
- Use tools safely and follow professional worksite standards
This work benefits parks, river corridors, and neighborhood green spaces, while also providing paid employment and valuable job experience.
A Model That Strengthens People and Places
Managing invasive species requires persistent, long-term effort. By training young people to support this work, Tree Trust creates a sustainable, community-based approach that strengthens:
- Youth—through income, mentorship, and career development
- Communities—through restored habitats, healthier forests, and safer green spaces
- Ecosystems—through ongoing stewardship and restoration
By acting to address environmental challenges, planting and caring for trees, mitigating invasive species, and investing in young people, Tree Trust’s integrated model supports Minnesota’s landscapes in receiving the long-term care they need.
Every young person trained and every invasive species mitigated brings us closer to a healthier, more resilient Minnesota. What began at Tree Trust 50 years ago, continues today. Transforming the future depends on more than one awareness week. Transforming the future takes daily practice.
How You Can Support This Work
During National Invasive Species Awareness Week, and throughout the year, you can help protect natural spaces by:
