Date: Sun Mar 15, 12:00 AM EDT - Sun Mar 15, 11:59 PM EDT
Category:
- Outdoor
Level:
- Juniors,
- Daisies,
- Seniors,
- Volunteers,
- Cadettes,
- Ambassadors,
- Brownies
Deadline for Free Tree Seedling Requests - March 15, 2026
Event Description
Claim your free tree seedling courtesy of Neighborhood Forest!
Protect the planet from the effects of climate change.
All over the world, deforestation and climate change are
damaging the planet. Trees help cool communities, reducing the heat
island effect created by buildings, machines, and pavement. They also
provide habitat for wildlife, create shade on hot summer days, clean
water, and remove asthma-causing air pollution.
Where do I receive my seedling?
GSMISTS service centers in Traverse City, Muskegon, and the
Grand Rapids DreamLab are the only available options for pickup. All
requests are processed through our Program Partner, Neighborhood
Forests, and their shipping capacities are to GSMISTS offices.
Can I have my seedling shipped to my house?
No. GSMISTS is unable to offer shipping to a Girl Scout's
home.
When can I retrieve my seedling?
Neighborhood Forests aims to have trees arrive by April 20th,
in time for Earth Day;
however, sometimes there are delays and
trees may not end up arriving until after Earth Day. GSMISTS
recommends avoiding date-and-time troop events or programs, as we
cannot know an exact seedling delivery date and adjust for unexpected
shipping delays.
GSMISTS will promptly contact all registrants
as soon as seedling delivery is confirmed. Due to council capacity and
the fragile nature of the seedlings, GSMISTS can only offer a 3-5 day
pickup window.
Please do not request a seedling if you will be
unavailable
What kind of tree will I get?
We will let you know the species for Earth Day 2026 as soon as
we can, but we ask for your patience as we leave room for flexibility
based on registration numbers and the available trees we have.
Typically GSMISTS knows the species information in early April.
Neighborhood Forest aims to provide native tree or fruit/nut
bearing trees in all the regions we serve. Neighborhood Forests
provides species on a state-by-state basis and like to offer different
species each year to provide variety and diversity of trees.
What if I miss the registration deadline?
The absolute deadline to request a tree is March 15th. Neither
GSMISTS or Neighborhood Forests are able to accommodate late
requests.
Can I get a Tree Promise Patch?
Yes - though purchasing patches are the responsibility of the
Girl Scout parent/Troop Leader. These can be ordered online or at the
GSMISTS DreamLab shop
Click the location you would like to pick your seedling up from:
Traverse City
Cheboygan
Grand
Rapids
Muskegon
