RAY Community Forestry Fellow

POSITION TITLE: RAY Community Forestry Fellow

DEPARTMENT/PROGRAM: Community Forestry

REPORTS TO: Aubrey Knier, Community Forestry Manager  

STATUS: Regular, Full-Time

LOCATION: Palo Alto, California

 

ABOUT THE DR. ROGER ARLINER YOUNG FELLOWSHIP

In an effort to make the conservation and clean energy fields more equitable and accessible, the Dr. Roger Arliner Young (RAY) Fellowship Program aims to increase and facilitate environmentally-related career pathways for emerging leaders. The RAY Fellowship Program is a paid fellowship designed to equip recent college graduates with the tools, experiences, support, and community they need to become leaders in the conservation and clean energy sectors—one that, in our vision of the future, fully represents, includes, and is led by the diverse communities, perspectives, and experiences of the United States.

 

ABOUT CANOPY

Canopy is a community forestry non-profit partnering with the communities of East Palo Alto, Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park, unincorporated North Fair Oaks of San Mateo County, Palo Alto, and Mountain View. Our mission is to collaborate with communities to grow and sustain equitable urban forests for all. We envision connected communities thriving within a vibrant urban forest.

We prioritize tree planting and stewardship, education, and advocacy in communities where people do not have a thriving urban forest due to limited resources, competing priorities, historical development, and urbanization patterns.

Canopy’s four key strategies involves:

  • Engage: We plant and steward community trees in partnership with residents, volunteers, school communities, municipalities, and grassroots partners.
  • Educate: We create life-long environmental stewards through exploration and education about trees and tree care.
  • Steward: Our rigorous approach to tree care and maintenance—always engaging the community—ensures high rates of tree survival and longevity.
  • Advocate: We uphold and promote policies and funding that protect trees and promote a healthy urban forest.

We’re guided along the way by our four core values:

  • Excellence: We value evidence-based practice and continual innovation. To work effectively and maintain community trust, we invest in passionate, hardworking staff and Board Members who embrace and promote a culture of excellence.
  • Equity: We actively seek to engage and reflect the diversity of people living on the Midpeninsula, and to remedy local inequities in access to tree canopy and urban nature.
  • Collaboration: We actively share knowledge, experience, and resources with public, private, and other nonprofit agencies. We invest in strong partnerships to achieve greater collective impact.
  • Gratitude: We value, recognize, and celebrate the diverse contributions of staff, board, volunteers, donors, and partners who power Canopy’s success and create long-lasting impact.

Canopy’s diverse programs include:

  • Tree Planting: expanding our urban forest. Canopy recently completed a major initiative to plant 1,000 trees on underserved school campuses. Now we’re working on the next thousand.
  • Tree Care: tending our young and mature community trees.
  • Tree Walks: inspiring people of all ages to explore and appreciate the urban forest.
  • Events and Workshops: Engaging the community and sharing the latest in arboriculture science.
  • Youth Engagement and School Programs: Inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards.
  • Urban Forest Advocacy: Working with public and private agencies to protect our forest as a whole.
  • Community Services: Providing guidance and advice for municipalities and mentoring other organizations.

The RAY Community Forestry Fellow will join Canopy’s Community Forestry team of six under the supervision of the Community Forestry Manager. This team is responsible for planting and caring for trees in all five our communities in partnership with municipalities, schools, residents, and volunteers. While the RAY fellow will primarily work with the Community Forestry Team, they will also collaborate with other departments of Canopy, namely Education and Community and Volunteer Engagement. 

 

POSITION SUMMARY

The RAY Community Forestry Fellow will support community-based tree planting, care, conservation and community education, engagement, and workforce development in the five communities Canopy partners within the San Francisco Midpeninsula region. Roughly 50% of the RAY Fellow’s time will be spent on supporting  tree planting and care fieldwork, 35% on Canopy’s education and workforce development programming, and 15% on equitable community and volunteer recruitment, engagement, and outreach support. The RAY fellow will benefit the local community by increasing their involvement in the stewardship of trees in their community, providing access to urban forestry and climate justice education programming and workforce development, and ensuring that community members see their own lived experience reflected in Canopy’s programs and network. 

The work week is Tuesday through Saturday, with some occasional early mornings and evenings; we commit to connecting with community members at times most convenient for them. Required in office days are Tuesdays and Thursdays, otherwise the working format is hybrid in-office/remote and offers much flexibility.
 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES*

Tree planting, care, and conservation (50%): 

  • Attend and support regular community and residential tree plantings and tree care events. This work includes: 
    • Selecting healthy tree stock at nurseries
    • Prepping and maintaining tools and materials needed for fieldwork and community events
    • Helping maintain trees at our yard, ensuring they are irrigated and remain healthy while waiting to be planted
    • Support pre-event prep, including assembling planting leader bags, tools, mulch buckets, and stake and tree drop offs
    • Support planting and tree care events through performing and/or guiding volunteers in necessary fieldwork
    • Assist in event clean up, including refuse removal and tool clean up and organization
  • Learn how to be a Canopy Planting Leader and Pruning Leader, leading and training volunteers of all abilities, backgrounds, and skillsets on how to properly plant and care for trees at events.
  • Support Canopy’s Community Forestry Team in outreach, event logistics, and planning required to facilitate residential and community tree planting and tree care events, workshops, and trainings.
  • Support Canopy’s Community Forestry Team by helping fulfill tree care requests and/or regular maintenance for trees planted by Canopy in the past 3 years in all five of our communities.
  • Support Canopy’s Community Forestry Team in measuring impact and tracking trees planted and cared for.

Community Education (35%): 

  • Work with the Education team to support the Community Forestry School, a UC Climate Stewards certification course run annually by Canopy. Tasks include coordinating guest lecturers, facilitating classes, grading assignments, and supporting students. The RAY Fellow has the opportunity to be a Teaching Assistant to the course.
  • Work alongside the Youth Leadership Program Manager to support the Teen Urban Forester Program, a paid internship designed to support and connect high school students to urban forestry through an intersectional approach, prioritizing East Palo Alto, eastern Menlo Park, and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) applicants. Responsibilities may include facilitating sessions, developing lesson and project plans, and coordinating with the Community Forestry team on fieldwork.
  • In collaboration with Canopy’s Community Forestry and Education teams, design public facing materials about the benefits of trees, including their impact on climate, community, and health. Share these materials with the public through various avenues.
  • In collaboration with Canopy’s Community Forestry Team, design tree planting and tree care specific material that will be used for the website, at local events, and given to community members to foster ongoing tree stewardship. 
  • Attend community listening sessions and other local events to better understand the needs of community members.
  • Support the development of educational materials about trees for municipal partners.

Community and Volunteer Engagement (15%):

In collaboration with the Community and Volunteer Engagement Manager, the fellow will:

  • Support the equitable recruitment and engagement of volunteers for community tree planting and tree care events, education programs, and community outreach events.
  • Support relationship development with volunteers from Canopy’s Branching Out communities.
  • Collaborate with Canopy’s Bilingual Environmental Educators to grow the K-12 education volunteer cohort and develop strategies for continued engagement of volunteers.
  • Collaborate with Canopy’s Community Education Coordinator to increase local representation, diversity, and bilingualism in Canopy’s cohort of expert volunteers, including arborists, speakers, and volunteer representatives of Canopy.
  • Collaborate with the Community and Volunteer Engagement Manager on registration and communication systems .
  • Support the development of the Teen Urban Forester alumni network.
  • Support engagement for special events and programming at Canopy.

*The proportion of time spent in the three outlined categories is subject to change based on programmatic needs and the RAY Fellow’s interests.

 

ADDITIONAL FELLOWSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

In addition to the responsibilities at the host institution outlined above, RAY Fellows will spend, on average, 2-4 hours per week (5-10% of work time) on the following:

  • Actively communicating and building community with their RAY Fellow cohort and previous RAY Fellows. 
  • Meeting regularly with mentors both inside and outside the host institution. 
  • Attending monthly professional development webinars, training, and other opportunities to build knowledge and skills as scheduled.
  • Developing a Personal Leadership Plan (PLP) in their 2nd year with the support of supervisor(s), mentors, RAY program staff, and their RAY Fellow cohort. The PLP will serve as a tool for self-reflection, planning, and assessing progress towards professional, personal, and leadership goals.
  • Preparing and leading an hour-long end-of-fellowship webinar highlighting their Fellowship experience.

RAY Fellows will also attend:

  • A 3-day Orientation Retreat in late Summer/Fall 2026.
  • A 3-day Mid-Fellowship Leadership Retreat in Fall 2027.

 

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY

Eligible RAY Fellow applicants will:

  • Come from a background underrepresented in conservation and clean energy and demonstrate a commitment to the shared values of the importance of promoting fairness, acknowledging various perspectives, and fostering a welcoming environment.
  • Be no more than 3 years out of college and have a Bachelor's Degree by July 2026 (we are not considering individuals with graduate degrees at this time).
  • Have not had a full-time job in conservation or clean energy.
  • Have the ability to work in the United States and commit to the entire fellowship.

 

PREFERRED SKILLS / QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE

  • Lived experience or experience working with untapped communities.
  • Bilingual in Spanish, Tongan, Samoan, or Mandarin is preferred.
  • An interest in the field of conservation, community and urban forestry, community organizing, accessible green career pathways and workforce development, environmental justice, and/or nature-based climate change solutions.
  • Passion for trees, equity, and access to urban nature; willingness to memorize tree-specific information.
  • Demonstrated capacity to work well and collaborate with others.
  • Experience with planning and organizing events.
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills.
  • An eagerness to learn.
  • Comfortability to perform fieldwork outside.

 

TERM / LENGTH OF ASSIGNMENT

This is a two-year, full-time (40 hrs per week) fellowship (one year with a one year renewal) starting on or after July 15, 2026.

 

COMPENSATION

The Fellowship is compensated and sponsored by Canopy, who offers a competitive benefits package as well as training and professional development opportunities:

  • Annual salary:  $60,000
  • Health Benefits: Medical/dental/vision insurance is available
  • Retirement: 401k, with the hope of offering employer matching contributions in the future.
  • Sick leave: 12 days (96 hours) sick leave per year with a maximum accrual of 12 days per year.
  • Vacation time: 12 days (96 hours) per year with a maximum accrual of 18 days per year. Accrual rates increase after two years with Canopy. 
  • Paid holidays: The following are official holidays for all Canopy employees:
    • New Year's Day
    • Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday
    • President's Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Juneteenth
    • Independence Day
    • Labor Day
    • Veteran's Day
    • Thanksgiving Day
    • Day after Thanksgiving
    • Christmas Eve Day
    • Christmas Day
    • The work days falling between Christmas and New Year's Day

 

HOW TO APPLY/APPLICATION

To apply for the RAY Fellowship Program, applicants must:

  1. Complete the online application survey on the RAY Fellowship Program website: rayfellowship.org/apply 
  2. Follow the instructions on the linked application webpage to submit a resume or curriculum vitae, one essay response, one visioning response, and one short answer response. 

Applications must be submitted to the RAY Fellowship Program no later than March 27, 2026. Transcripts and additional writing samples are not required. 

If you have questions, please see our FAQ page, and any further questions about the application process can be submitted to ray@elpnet.org.

Equal opportunity employer: Canopy strives to engage, celebrate, and reflect the rich diversity of the communities we work with. We value inclusion and equity in our programs, leadership, and hiring practices. Canopy is a fair chance employer and does not use the e-Verify background check service. We invite anyone to apply regardless of their history, and we welcome neurodivergent applicants. If you can see yourself in this role, we invite you to apply!