Mission and Overview
Midland TreeKeepers is a group of volunteers affiliated with Keep Midland Beautiful, Inc. who are dedicated to maintaining the health and beauty of trees in Midland, Texas.
 Midland TreeKeepers works in partnership with the City of Midland Parks Department with support from the Texas Forest Service and Texas Cooperative Extension. Membership is open to anyone willing to volunteer their time in support of the group's activities. Training in basic horticultural principles and tree maintenance techniques will be provided to members by experienced professionals. Funds for equipment, administrative and other group expenses will be generated through grants and donations obtained by Keep Midland Beautiful.
TreeKeepers will work with employees of the COM Parks Department to maintain trees in city parks and public right-of-ways in Midland. Tree maintenance activities may include pruning, building tree wells, weeding around trees and identifying diseased trees. Although the primary focus will be on tree maintenance, the organization will also support the COM Parks Department and Keep Midland Beautiful in applying for grants and coordinating tree planting projects. In partnership with the Texas Forest Service and Texas Cooperative Extension, Midland TreeKeepers will also coordinate Tree Care Seminars to educate the public on recommended tree species for planting in the area, proper tree pruning techniques and tree diseases and pests common to West Texas.
TreeKeepers work sessions will usually be held on one Saturday of most months throughout the year. This schedule will occasionally be modified due to conflicts with holidays or other activities.
For more information about TreeKeepers, or to volunteer, just complete the simple form at the bottom of this page. We'd love for you to join us!
History of TreeKeepers
 Keep Midland Beautiful has been so successful in its tree planting programs that it became necessary to establish a volunteer organization to help our City Parks Department employees take proper care of the growing tree population in Midland. In January 1996, 25 individuals attended the first meeting and tree care workshop of our new volunteer group called TreeKeepers. Volunteers were solicited through the use of television, newspaper, radio, personal contacts and presentations. These volunteers were trained by an urban forester with the Texas Forest Service in proper pruning techniques, tree identification, pest identification, and the importance of mulching and tree wells. They were given "hands-on" training and provided with safety and first aid tips.
Our TreeKeeper program began with a grant for $2,000 from the Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Grant Program. KMB matched those dollars with $3,155 in actual dollars and in-kind donations. Grant dollars were used to purchase pruning equipment such as pole pruners, hand pruners, loppers and pruning saws, as well as gloves, protective eyewear and first aid kits. Each volunteer was given a training/educational manual, TreeKeeper T-shirt, "Famous Trees of Texas" book and tree guide. All participants were required to sign a liability waiver. Periodic training sessions are conducted for new TreeKeepers and the general public by our area forester, in partnership with our local Texas Cooperative Extension agent for Midland and Ector counties.
 Since its inception in 1996, TreeKeepers have logged over 1000 volunteer hours training, pruning and planting trees in Midland. These dedicated individuals meet once a month for two hour work sessions. They prune, mulch and check the health of trees in parks, public right-of-ways and city-owned vacant lots. Some of these trees have been neglected for many years. The pruning work done by the TreeKeepers makes a remarkable improvement in both the appearance and health of the trees. TreeKeepers also participates in all tree plantings coordinated by Keep Midland Beautiful.
In 1997, TreeKeepers took on the role of promoting tree planting and care to the general public by partnering with the City of Midland to conduct the first Midland Arbor Day Celebration. The event included an Arbor Day Ceremony with a proclamation by the Mayor, a ceremonial tree planting, a tree care workshop and a tree tour conducted by the Midland College Horticulture Department. KMB is proud to partner with the college in the promotion of this program.
The 1998 Arbor Day Celebration included our first Tree Care Seminar. Professionals from the Texas Forest Service and Texas Cooperative Extension conduct the Tree Care Seminar in January every year. The seminar focuses on recommended tree species for planting in the area, tree pruning techniques and awareness of tree diseases and pests common to West Texas.
The KMB TreeKeeper program has received national recognition from Keep America Beautiful, state recognition from the Texas Forest Service and Keep Texas Beautiful and local recognition from the City of Midland. In 1998, the Texas Forest Service and Texas Urban Forestry Council awarded Midland TreeKeepers with a first place in the Civic Organization category of the Community Forestry Award. On April 25, 2000, the TreeKeepers volunteers were recognized at the Midland City Council Meeting for their outstanding service to the community. We continue to solicit volunteers through the media, special invitations and brochures.
Through our tree planting drives, public education activities and TreeKeeper program, Keep Midland Beautiful has answered the citizens’ call to develop and care for Midland's urban forest in the middle of the West Texas desert.
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