Our Work
Greenscape of Jacksonville is a nonprofit organization that plants, protects, and promotes trees in Northeast Florida, primarily Jacksonville. We are the oldest tree advocacy group in Florida and the second oldest in the country, with almost five decades of planting trees and advocating for a healthy urban forest.
We’ve won local, state and national awards for our projects and for bringing public and private interests together through trees. If you’re looking for a way to add more shade and beauty to your yard, connect with coworkers through a meaningful community service project, or impact your community as a volunteer, you’re in the right place!
We Plant, Protect, and Promote Trees.
TREE PLANTING EVENTS
Each year, we plant hundreds of trees throughout Jacksonville and the greater Northeast Florida region to enhance and expand the area’s tree canopy. By strategically planting a diverse range of native and resilient tree species, we help improve air quality, provide shade, support local wildlife, and contribute to the overall health and beauty of our communities.
THE GREAT TREE GIVEAWAY
In an effort to get more trees on private land, Greenscape gives away thousands of trees each year to the public. We are the official host of Jacksonville’s Arbor Day, by Mayoral Proclamation, and this event helps the city maintain its status as a Tree City USA, an Arbor Day Foundation certification.
ADVOCACY
We actively advocate for stronger urban forestry policies by engaging with the public and elected officials, ensuring trees remain a priority in city planning. This includes:
» Attending monthly Tree Commission meetings.
» Working with Resilient Jacksonville to expand Jacksonville’s tree canopy and develop an Urban Forestry Master Plan.
EDUCATION
We also have established our own programs and campaigns to engage the public in their own tree conservation efforts. This includes:
» The creation of our Tree Keepers Maintenance Program.
» Our “Save Our Tree Canopy!” campaign.
» Youth and young adult outreach on Urban Forestry career opportunities.
» Hosting an upcoming “Up With Trees” town hall open to the public.
Our Impact
"I want more trees for more fresh air!" - R.L. Brown student
"Thank you so much. Nobody ever does anything for us at our school." - Ribault High School student
"I will never forget this day for the rest of my life." Five-year-old who planted trees with us in his neighborhood park.
Our Team
Greenscape’s staff partners with like-minded organizations to help achieve our mission. The Florida Forest Service, University of Florida Extension Service, and foresters from JEA all consult with Greenscape and provide professional expertise as part of their outreach to the community. Like most nonprofits, Greenscape has a Board of Directors that oversees aspects of the operation and serves as ambassadors to the wider community.
Nicole kresse - Executive Director
Nicole Kresse serves as Executive Director of Greenscape of Jacksonville, the city’s pioneering urban forestry nonprofit. With more than 17 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit and international development sectors, she brings a strategic yet hands-on approach to advancing Greenscape’s mission of protecting and expanding Jacksonville’s tree canopy. A passionate environmental advocate, Nicole is committed to deepening community engagement, growing impactful partnerships, and enhancing urban resilience through trees.
Prior to joining Greenscape, Nicole managed over $500 million in U.S. foreign assistance with USAID programs and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, with a focus on sustainable development and volunteer-driven initiatives. She holds an MBA from Texas A&M University and a B.A. in Business and Spanish from Clemson University. Under her leadership, Greenscape is poised to celebrate 50 years of impact while charting bold new directions in urban greening and environmental education.
Rebecca Henson - Assistant Director
Becky Henson is Assistant Director of Greenscape of Jacksonville, Inc. In this role, Becky oversees administrative functions for the organization, volunteer coordination, donor relations and fund development, and financial reporting. She has proudly served the Jacksonville community through her work at Greenscape since 2006.
A devoted leader who credits her passion for environmental issues with leading her to Greenscape, Becky spent more than a decade volunteering with the Boy Scouts (Cub Scout Pack 488, Troop 488 and Troop 287). This experience allowed her to share her love for trees with the next generation, as she connected local troops with volunteer opportunities such as tree plantings and the annual Arbor Day Festival & Tree Giveaway.
Becky is a Central Florida native who has proudly called Jacksonville home since 1996. Outside of her work with Greenscape, she can often be found reading, volunteering at her church (San Juan Del Rio Catholic Church), or planning her next travel adventure.
Officers of the Board
DUSTIN FELIX – President
JOSHUA RUTHERFORD – Treasurer
TIFFANY DAVIS – Secretary
E. ZIMMERMAN BOULOS – Immediate Past President
Board of Directors
BROOKS ANDREWS TIM HOPE
TRACEY ARPEN, JR NADER JARUN
PEGGY BRYAN TED LEE
GABRIELE DEMPSEY ERICA PAUL
CRAIG HANDLEY DANIELLE WILSON
BILL HOFF
Our History
THE ROOTS OF GREENSCAPE
In 1975, joined by their desire to improve the Jacksonville landscape, a small group of citizens began the not-for-profit organization Greenscape of Jacksonville, Inc. The organization’s first project focused on the Downtown area. Cooperating with the City of Jacksonville through the Jacksonville Downtown Development Authority, Greenscape planted 250 commemorative trees along Downtown sidewalks.
Greenscape gradually directed its focus outward from the center of the city, sharing the responsibility of tree planting in the Jacksonville area with interested neighborhood and community groups. Today, the organization is credited with over 350,000 trees added to our local canopy. In addition to its own tree planting projects, Greenscape enthusiastically embraces its role as a catalyst for change. The organization regularly approaches neighborhoods, institutions and governmental agencies with exciting and innovative projects.
Greenscape sets the environmental standard in Jacksonville through its active participation at all levels in issues pertaining to trees. By working with the City of Jacksonville in an advisory capacity to establish the City’s Landscape Ordinance, serving on the Mayor’s Environmental Advisory Committee, JEA’s Tree Coalition, and the Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission, Greenscape continues to expand awareness of the importance of our tree canopy to the health and economic well-being of our community. The organization has received numerous awards and recognition at the local, state and national levels.
The Timeline
1975
1976-86
1987
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
2000
2001
2004
2007
2009
2011
2015
2016
2017
The Flowering Tree Sale becomes the Greenscape Tree Festival and Giveaway.
Greenscape plants “One Tree Per School” for DCPS and Jacksonville’s City Council through a joint collaboration.
2018
2019
2020
Our Achievements
- 280 green ash trees along five miles of Roosevelt Boulevard (U.S. 17), from McDuff Avenue to Timuquana Road.
- 312 live oaks, dogwoods and crepe myrtles along Riverside and St. Johns Avenues, Herschel and Park Streets.
- Significant plantings of Bradford pear trees and crepe myrtles along San Marco Boulevard and Hendricks Avenue.
- More than 40 trees planted along the Atlantic Boulevard median between Gay and Arletha. 28 years of Greenscape’s Annual Flowering Tree Sales, providing wholesale priced quality trees to the public.
- 3,000 trees planted by area school children, faculty, and volunteers on the grounds of public schools. 90 palm trees planted at the perimeter of Jessie Ball duPont park in Downtown, in honor of the Florida Sesquicentennial celebration.
- More than 100 sycamores, crepe myrtles and bald cypress planted at HabiJax homes.
- Nearly 14,000 trees planted along Jacksonville’s urban highways in Greenscape’s Baby Trees project: 1,500 at I-95 and the Prime Osborn Convention Center; 4,500 at I-95 and Heckscher Drive; 7,500 at TIAA Bank Field; and 1,400 at the south approach of the Acosta Bridge.
- California Date Palms, crepe myrtles, and ground covers on a mile of medians along Atlantic Boulevard, from Mayport Road to Third Street, creating a gateway to the Beaches communities.
- Creation of “Green Releaf,” a partnership between JEA and Greenscape.
- Trees, shrubs, and grasses installed at I-10 and U.S. 17 interchange.
- Established an award-winning Urban Tree Ranger Program, teaching volunteers pruning techniques.
- Accomplished model project for “Right Tree, Right Place” on Herschel Street.
- Numerous nonprofit partnerships, such as Ronald McDonald House Charities, the ARC, HabiJax, The First Tee, Pace Center for Girls, Operation New Hope, and Jacksonville Housing Partnership.
- Partnered with the National Football League to initiate the first carbon-neutral major sport event by planting 1,000 trees in The Green Zone: Super Bowl XXXIX Carbon-Neutral Forest at UNF.
- 2007 Great Greenscape Tree Giveaway distributed 20,000 free trees to the public.