Gainesville’s inaugural TreeQuest brought out over 90 individuals and groups to participate in a local tree scavenger hunt.
The event took place in three public parks and the University of Florida’s main campus, with participants identifying 14 different tree species and one palm species from 30 total Quest Trees over more than 300 different times.
Several participants discovered more than one tree and played the game at multiple sites, including Tom Petty Park, Depot Park, Albert “Ray” Massey Park, and the University of Florida main campus.
“I was able to learn the names of the trees and understand the positive impact each individual tree has”.
This TreeQuest event focused on helping participants learn how to identify native trees that thrive in the urban landscape and the benefits they contribute to our communities.
This year, to celebrate Florida Arbor Day on the third Friday of January, the UF/IFAS Urban Forestry Extension team and the city of Gainesville partnered to bring TreeQuest to Gainesville.
TreeQuest was first developed by UF/IFAS Citrus County Horticulture Extension Agent and County Extension Director, Marguerite Beckford. Dr. Beckford began celebrating Florida Arbor Day with a TreeQuest event in 2018 with Treejuvination Florida in Sarasota County.
Today, Arbor Day is celebrated with TreeQuest events by Dr. Beckford in Citrus County, by UF/IFAS Hillsborough County Urban Forestry Extension Agent Alyssa Vinson, and now in Gainesville, FL, through the partnership between the Urban Forestry Extension Council and the City of Gainesville. Over the course of several days the UF/IFAS Urban Forestry Extension Coordinator, Dr. Stephanie Cadaval, Forest Systems Associate Professor, Dr. Michael Andreu, School of Forests, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences student Natalie Vargas, Gainesville Urban Forestry Program Coordinator and Senior Horticulturist, Samuel Schatz and Ryan Vaughn all set out to scout for, identify and measure native trees across the four TreeQuest locations.
Bringing TreeQuest to Gainesville
Each tree that was selected was tagged with signs that shared an estimate of how much each tree was worth over 20 years of contributing benefits to our community. Benefit estimates are calculated using i-Tree tools. Benefits included things like stormwater runoff reduction and carbon sequestration. The largest tree participants could find was a 47-inch diameter laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia). The Quest Tree that produced the most benefits was a 42-inch-diameter live oak (Quercus virginiana), estimated to contribute approximately $1,903.77 in benefits over 20 years. Both trees can be seen at the University of Florida main campus. Calculating the estimated benefits of individual trees gives a picture of the collective benefits provided by trees in the whole urban forest. Depending on the percentage of tree cover in a city, there is a potential for millions of dollars in annual benefits.
The community gains
In a post-event survey, participants described Tree Quest as educational, engaging, and fun, encouraging place connection, and found it to be an inclusive and social activity. One participant said, “It sparked my curiosity, encouraged me to be present outside, and helped me notice trees I hadn’t acknowledged before.” Participation was open to anyone, and group participation was encouraged.
This April, celebrate Earth Day by participating in the next TreeQuest!
The University of Florida and the City of Gainesville will partner again to host TreeQuest in celebration of Earth Day! Starting on April 25, 2026, and ending on May 25, 2026, participants will be able to find Quest Trees around participating Gainesville city parks and locations.
This event is for everyone and is family-friendly and free! The goal of TreeQuest 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. There will be five to ten trees tagged at each site. 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. Finally, you can post a selfie with your Quest Tree by tagging #GNVTreeQuest2026. Share your selfies with us! Each time you scan a new tree and fill in the survey, you will be entered into a drawing to win trees!
April-May Tree Quest Locations:
- Smokey Bear Park
- Roper Park & Thomas Center
- Albert “Ray” Massey Park & Loblolly Woods
- University of Florida Main Campus
For questions, more information, or to share your tree-selfies, contact Stephanie Cadaval at urbfor@ifas.ufl.edu
You can learn more about urban forestry at the UF/IFAS Urban Forestry Extension Council website: https://programs.ifas.ufl.edu/urban-forestry-extension-council/
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