Put on your walking shoes and join us outside!
To celebrate Florida Arbor Day this year, we will launch Gainesville’s Tree Quest! The UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences and the City of Gainesville have partnered to build an urban forestry adventure that invites our community to get outside, learn about trees, and some of the benefits they provide in our city. The event will take place across three of Gainesville’s public parks and on the University of Florida campus.
What is Tree Quest?
Tree Quest is a self-guided and interactive scavenger hunt that takes place in Gainesville commencing on Florida Arbor Day (January 16, 2026) and running through February 15, 2026. This event is for everyone and is family-friendly and free! The goal of Tree Quest is to bring people outside to interact with our community’s trees and build awareness about our urban forest. Discover what trees do for us and learn about the diversity of trees in our city.
Visit any of the participating locations to find quest trees. We’ll tag each Quest tree with its details and a QR code. Scan the code to jump into the game. QR codes will take you to a short survey where you will answer questions about each tree location. You can also post a selfie with your quest tree by tagging #GNVTreeQuest2026. Each time you scan a new tree and fill in the survey, you will be entered into a drawing to win trees!
Locations
- Depot Park – 874 SE 4th St, Gainesville, FL 32601
- Tom Petty Park – 501 NE 16th Ave, Gainesville 32601
- Albert “Ray” Massey Park – 1001 NW 34th St, Gainesville 32605
- Various locations around the University of Florida (Gainesville Campus)
Event Details
Start: January 16, 2026
End: February 15, 2026
Contact: Stephanie Cadaval at urbfor@ifas.ufl.edu
Alyssa Vinson—Extension Agent and UF/IFAS Urban Forestry Extension Council member—sparked our Gainesville Tree Quest through her leadership of Hillsborough County’s Tree Quest. Thank you to Alyssa for sharing resources that made the Gainesville Tree Quest possible!
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