WSU Tree Equity Internships

2026 Applications Open Now

2026 Internships

Thank you for your interest in applying for the Equitable Urban Forest Summer Internship program with WSU.

We are excited to welcome you into a program designed to help you equitably enhance the urban forest in your community.

Please complete the application below.

Key Dates in 2026

May 4 – Applications Open
May 18 – Applications Close
May 27-29 – Applicant Zoom Interviews
June 3 (Goal) – Applicant Selection Notification
June 29 – Internship Start
September 3 – Internship Project Symposium
September 4 – Internship End

2026 Internship Details

Six paid internships are available
Internships are full-time for 10 weeks
Internships are remote, but not entirely computer based.
Internships will require projects and tasks within your community.
Pay includes $880 per week with a $500 travel stipend

Educational Goals

The educational goals of the Equitable Urban Forest Summer Internships are to enhance your skills and approaches to

Learn importance and value of urban trees for benefiting community livelihood and how tree health issues can limit urban forest benefits.
Identify and understand historical practices creating undeserved and disadvantaged neighborhoods in your community
Identify areas where planting trees would have the most benefit
Identify tree species and best practices for tree stewardship

Internship Expectations

Internships are full-time (9-5pm M-F) for 10 weeks.
- Please do not apply if you are not available full-time (some vacation/travel is acceptable, but you will still need to complete weekly tasks).
Interns will attend weekly online meetings with other interns, program faculty, and internship coordinators.
- Internships are place-based and no travel outside of your city is required.

Interns will engage with local community partners for additional mentorship, skill building, and networking opportunities.
Interns will share observations on iNaturalist as part of community college tree inventories and community spaces research projects.

Interns will complete independent research projects related to equitably enhancing urban forests in their community.
Interns will prepare and share presentations about the internship experience to stakeholders and funders.

2026 WSU Tree Equity Internship

Please complete this the forms below to apply for a 2026 internship.

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

School(Required)

What type of degree are you pursuing?(Required)

(e.g. Associates in Nursing, Bachelors in Environmental Science).

Major / focus / degree area(Required)

Are you available full-time between June 28th-Sept 4th?(Required)

Full-time participation (9-5pm M-F) is required in 2026.

What is your projected graduation date?(Required)

What city are you interested in completing a project in?(Required)

What type of project sounds the most interesting to you?

What other type of projects are you interested in?

Please list any topics you're specifically interested in studying

If you are interested in working with a community partner, do you have any in mind that you would like to work with?

Please list any community partners (e.g. Tacoma Tree Foundation, Whatcom Million Trees, Spokane Conservation District) you would be interested in working with. Please use the plus button to add more than one. We will do our best to find an opportunity.

Why is equitably enhancing urban forests important to you?(Required)

Please use this space to share your story and why you're interested in an internship related to equitably enhancing urban forests. There are no wrong answers here, you're welcome to share as much or as little as you like.

Please attached your resume / CV (pdf or docx; please name file LASTNAME_Resume.pdf)(Required)

Max. file size: 146 MB.

Please include a resume or cv summarizing prior experience, service, recognition, and involvement.

Please attach a cover letter (pdf or docx; please name file LASTNAME_Cover_Letter.pdf)(Required)

Max. file size: 146 MB.

Please address the below three topics in your letter 1) Why the internship is an important opportunity to you. 2) What are your career goals? 3) What experiences do you hope to gain from this internship?

Optional - References

This is optional. If you have references, please list their names and phone numbers. We will not contact them without letting you know first. Please click the plus button to add more than one reference.

Internship Alumni

2024 Equitable Urban Forest Interns

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2025 Equitable Urban Forest Interns

Equitable Urban Forest Internship Symposium 2025 flyer

Community Partner Examples

Depending on the interest of the intern, we can find community partners for part-time projects. Below are a few community partners that have shared opportunities for internships. These are great examples of the type of projects and opportunities for your internship, if you’re interested in working with a community partner.

Tacoma Tree Foundation

The Tacoma Tree Foundation grows trees and community in Tacoma. We will host many activities for community building, outreach, greening our city, and skill building throughout the summer. Interns can assist with community engagement activities, independent projects, and more.

Whatcom Million Trees

Whatcom Million Trees Project this summer will be doing an urban tree canopy assessment of Bellingham’s Birchwood neighborhood which will require fieldwork and community outreach. (Whatcom Community College is in this neighborhood.) Plus we will hold several volunteer work parties over the summer to remove tree-killing invasives like English ivy from trees. Both are important climate resilience actions you can do hands-on.

American Forests- GID and Data Science Team

American Forests’ GIS and Data Science team is expanding their Tree Equity Score program to include a Tree Equity Score Analyzer (TESA) for all urban areas in Washington State. To support the project, they are seeking help in identifying tools and datasets used for equity and tree planting projects in cities around the state

American Forest

American Forests’ Field Delivery team seeks assistance in engaging stakeholders in a process to capturing community input on the development of the Tree Equity Score Analyzer.

Program Support and Funding

Funding and support for these internships is provided by a five year grant from the Forest Service.

Empowering Community College Students to Equitably Enhance Urban Forests – Program funding provided from the Forest Service as part of the unprecedented funding package for urban forestry provided in the Inflation Reduction Act.

USDA and Washington State University are equal opportunity providers and employers.