Start by finding land where your trees can thrive and stay protected, such as school grounds, the edge of an urban forest or a community green space. Contact the landowner, school or local authority early, because planting trees usually needs formal permission. Visit the site with a partner organisation and check access, safety, sunlight and how far you need to carry water. Ask whether the landowner can recommend native species or help with watering. Confirm a planting date that avoids the hottest, driest weeks of the year, and record the site’s location type so you can log it on the dashboard later.

Aim to bring together around 50 participants, mixing students, young volunteers and supportive adults. Share the call for volunteers through schools, youth groups and local social media, and explain the full commitment, including the follow-up care visits. Ask every participant to complete the short online training before the planting day; it covers why trees matter for wildfire prevention, how to plant a sapling well and how to log activity on the dashboard. Choose group leaders, give each one a Green Guardians vest and agree who looks after which trees. Set up a group chat so everyone receives reminders and updates.

Prepare for a three-hour planting event. Arrange transport or carpooling, and organise drinking water and snacks for everyone. Lay out one kit per participant, check you have gloves and watering cans, and open with a short safety briefing. Group leaders demonstrate how to dig the hole, settle the sapling at the right depth, firm the soil and water it in. Each participant plants their own tree and attaches its QR label. Before you leave, count the trees planted, take clear photos of each group at work and gather any feedback while the experience is fresh.

Within a day or two, upload your results to the Green Guardians dashboard. Record the number of participants, the number of trees planted, the location type and your best activity photos. A Green Guardians administrator reviews and approves each submission before it appears in the public archive, so take care to log accurate figures. Share your approved record with your school, partners and local community, and thank everyone who took part. Encourage participants to post their own photos and tag the campaign, which helps recruit volunteers for the care visits and inspires other groups to plant their own trees.

Planting is only the start. Return to your site one, three and six months after planting day to keep your trees alive through dry spells. At each visit, water the saplings, clear weeds and litter from around them, check the soil and note which trees have survived. Scan each QR label and update the dashboard with your survival figures and fresh photos. Use these visits to talk with your team about how healthy trees reduce wildfire risk. After six months, celebrate your survival rate, share the story with your community and invite new young leaders to plan the next planting season.