Cville Tree Week is a new annual citywide celebration of trees and urban forestry in Charlottesville
The first event will take place November 1-7, 2026. Throughout the week, community members are invited to participate in workshops, hands-on activities, and public events that focus on caring for trees and learning about their role in Charlottesville’s environment and neighborhoods. These events highlight the importance of a healthy urban canopy and support ReLeaf’s mission to grow and care for Charlottesville’s trees.
The Schedule
Sun, November 1 – Sat, November 7
CATS Notable Trees Program Sunday-Saturday
Invasive Vine Removal with Charlottesville Invasive Plant Partnership (CHIPP)
Bees, Trees, & EVs Family Friendly Trivia at Firefly.
Invasive Species Family Hike with Blue Ridge PRISM
Perpetual Journal Workshop
Earlysville Oak
UVA Women’s Walking Group
Wildrock Tree Day!
Darden Botanical Walk
Heyward Community Hike
Tree Ring Printmaking
Rivanna River Company Sauna
Downtown Mall Tree Management Plan & Walk hosted by Wolf Josey Landscape Architects and the City of Charlottesville
Key Note: Tree Note & Urban Wood Showcase
UVA Forest Urbanism Symposium
Gratitude Tree Art Installation, The Looking Glass, IX Art Park
Fall Festival at the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont
Forest Restoration Workday
StarDance Silent Tree Disco
Sunday | November 1st
CATS Notable Trees Program
Nov 1 - 7 | Charlottesville tour
Ongoing through the week, take this self-guided Notable Trees Driving Tour, presented by the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards.
Monster Invasive Vine Removal Workday with Charlottesville Invasive Plant Partnership (CHIPP)
1:30-4 pm | The Lab School
CHIPP volunteers will work in small groups with Community Lab School volunteers on a "monster project" to liberate trees from invasive vines in a patch of forest adjacent to the Lab School. During the work session we will teach students how to identify and safely cut invasive vines to help preserve mature trees and foster a healthy ecosystem. Parents, teachers, and other volunteers are welcome to join in this project of learning and forest stewardship!
Bees Trees & EVs: Family Trivia Night
3-6 pm | Firefly Restaurant
Help us kick-off Charlottesville’s first-ever Tree Week at Bees, Trees, and EVs: A Sustainability-themed Family Trivia Night!
Show your support for the Botanical Garden’s Eco Fair, get connected to environmental organizations, and enjoy food and drinks from Firefly!
On Sunday, November 1st from 3 to 6PM, families are invited to enjoy sustainable arts and crafts and a family friendly game of trivia on all things bees, trees, and electric vehicles with special guest, Bumble the Bee! Let us know you’re coming here.
Eco-themed costumes are encouraged!
Monday | November 2nd
Invasive Species Family Hike with Blue Ridge PRISM
1-2 pm | Riverview Park
Come walk with us and learn how to identify the most common invasive plants along the trail at Riverview Park!
Join Blue Ridge PRISM for an easy hike/walk during Cville Tree Week and learn how to identify the most common invasive plants along the trail at Riverview Park! This is a great opportunity for families to learn more about plant identification and how to tell the difference between invasive plants and the native trees/plants we want to protect. Ideal beginner opportunity for future citizen scientists.
Perpetual Journal Workshop
2-3:30 pm | Northside Library
Lara Call Gastinger is a botanical artist and illustrator. She was the chief illustrator for the Flora of Virginia project and developed a perpetual nature journal practice in 2001.
In this workshop, Lara will introduce basic skills for starting andmaintaining a perpetual journal practice. She will have copies of her book available for purchase after the event.
Tuesday | November 3rd
Earlysville Oak Tree
11-1 pm | Earlysville Oak tree
Visit the largest white oak in the state with the arborists at Van Yahres Tree Company who have cared for it for nearly 25 years.
This majestic tree is thought to be between 450-500 years old and is currently in the running to be crowned the largest white oak in the country
10-11 am | Heyward Forest
UVA Women's Walking Group
The UVA Women's Hiking group will join Steven Gaines for a guided walk through the Heyward Forest.
Wildrock Tree Day!
10am-12pm | Wildrock
Connect with trees at Wildrock. Activities include hammock hangout, sipping pine tea, story time and leaf crafts. This free event is ideal for families with children ages 3-10. Registration is required. This self directed program runs from 10-12. Families should bring snack, lunch, refillable water bottles and dress for the outdoors.
Wednesday | November 4th
Darden Botanical Walk
1 pm | Tahija Arboretum hosted by Waterstreet Studio
Join Waterstreet Studio for a tour of the Tahija Arboretum and LaCross Botanical Gardens at UVA Darden School of Business The Arboretum and Botanical Gardens leveraged an existing Piedmont wooded ravine in the center of the project site to establish a unique, landscape-focused heart to the project. Intending to enhance the outdoor experience and assimilate Darden’s pedagogy into its landscape, the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens create a series of outdoor spaces and walks that connect the hotel to other destinations within UVA North Grounds.
Heyward Community Hike
5 pm | Heyward Community Forest
Join this hiking tour with Parks and Recreation Staff and get an introduction to new trails on the Heyward Forest property adjacent to Ragged Mountain Natural Area. Learn about the natural history of this relatively new addition to the park system while learning to identify vegetation and wildlife habitat. The hike takes place on natural surface trails and will cover about 2 miles with some hilly climbs.
Tree Ring Printmaking
5-7pm | New City Arts
How do we take a closer look at our trees? Join local poet, ReLeaf board member, and former member of the Charlottesville Tree Commission MaKshya Tolbert for an evening of tree ring printmaking with local boles from the Downtown Mall. During the session we’ll engage with tree rings, scars, and cracks as portals for deepening our quality of attention toward and relationship to trees, as well as to atmospheric and felt conditions of time and place. All are invited to gather, listen, and print a tree ring to take home as we connect to our fluctuating canopy and each other at the paces of creative practice, material culture, and togetherness. SAFETY-WISE
Cross sections will be prepped ahead of time, so participants can expect light work and minimal gear needs. I recommend clothes you might not mind getting some ink on, just in case. Aprons welcome, if preferred.
Thursday | November 5th
Riversong Saunas Opening Season
Come celebrate the opening season of Riversong Saunas! Join us beginning Thursday, November 5, and throughout the weekend of Cville Tree Week for a chance to connect with nature, embrace the changing seasons, and unwind in community. Rivanna River Company has also just opened its new café, making the riverfront an even more inviting place to spend time together.
Downtown Mall Tree Management Plan & Walk
4-5:00 pm | Downtown Mall hosted by Wolf Josey Landscape Architects and the City of Charlottesville
Join Paul Josey (WJLA) and Steven Gaines (Charlottesville Urban Forester) for a guided walk on Charlottesville's Historic Downtown Mall.
The Mall recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. We’ll explore the history and ongoing management of the country’s longest pedestrian mall, designed by Lawrence Halprin and Associates.
Along the way, we’ll look at the design’s history and innovations, the current risks facing the Mall’s trees and design elements, and the goals for tree protection, visibility, and planned replacement over the next 50 years.
The walk begins at the Pavilion and ends at The Code Building.
5:30 pm | Evening | Irving Theatre The Code Building
Cville Tree Week TreeNote and Urban Wood Showcase
A milestone of Charlottesville's weeklong tree celebration, hosted by ReLeaf Cville, Biophilic Cities Network, and UVA Sawmilling, this event features a TreeNote address by arborist and author Basil Camu, From Wasteland to Wonder, who will share eco-friendly landscaping practices that replace traditional ecosystem-depleting methods with soil-building and native planting strategies to save money and restore biodiversity, with the overall goal of making our city more biophilic. This evening will also include an artistic showcase and silent auction of products upcycled from local public trees, along with educational information stations highlighting the City's new nature-based solutions.
Friday | November 6th
UVA Forest Urbanism Symposium
8:30am-1:30 pm | Campbell Hall 153
The Center for Forest Urbanism at the UVA School of Architecture will hold a half-day symposium in coordination with a larger Charlottesville Tree Week. Explore the role of trees in shaping healthier, more resilient cities through conversations on health and wellbeing, urban heat mitigation, and the ecological and economic benefits of conserving mature trees. Featured speakers include Basil Camu, author of From Wasteland to Wonder, and other special guests.
Gratitude Tree Art Installation Unveiling in The Looking Glass
6-10 pm | IX Art Park, The Looking Glass
Join us during Community Day (11/5 12-5pm), Arts From Underground (11/5 6-11pm), or during First Friday Art Mix (11/6 6-11pm) to unveil our Gratitude Tree Installation and enjoy FREE admission to The Looking Glass. Get creative and help us fill in the branches with notes and drawings of gratitude and wishes for the future.
Saturday | November 7th
Fall Festival at Botanical Gardens of the Piedmont
9:30AM - 3PM | Botanical Gardens of the Piedmont
Join us for a fun-filled day at the Garden, where nature meets adventure! This year’s Fall Festival celebrates trees and is proud to be featured as part of ReLeaf Cville’s Tree Week.
Enjoy a day of hands-on activities and outdoor exploration, including arts and crafts, tree walks, a tree planting, and a tree care workshop and demonstration with Bartlett Tree Experts. Visitors can also take part in outdoor meditation among the trees and explore tabling activities from local organizations.
This event is free and open to the public, with activities for all ages. Our full schedule and registration information will be available soon.
Don’t miss Fall Festival 2026—a day of fun, discovery, and celebrating the trees that make our community special!
Forest Restoration Workday with Rivanna Conservation Alliance
1-3 pm | Riverview Park
Join RCA and members of the Rivanna Forest Restoration Partnership for a volunteer workday in Riverview Park! We will be maintaining our riparian buffer plantings through invasive plant management, tree maintenance, and more. Registration is required so that we know how many supplies we should bring. Volunteers under 18 must be accompanied and supervised by an adult.
StarDance Silent Disco: Tree Week Celebration
4:45 pm | The Grove at McIntire Park
Get ready to meditate and move beneath 150-year-old oak trees in this Tree Week dance celebration! Join us Saturday, November 7, 2026 at 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) for an ecstatic dance experience at sunset. Bring your energy and let the silent disco headphones guide your flow as you connect with the music, nature, each other, and beautiful, old trees that surround us.
We will begin the event with poetry reading and guided meditation that will connect us to nature, this world, and all of its trees. The event will end with a guided meditation that will draw our attention and gratitude to the natural world that surrounds us.
Don’t miss this magical evening of meditation and movement! QUESTIONS/CONCERNS: If you have any issues locating us or any questions about this event, feel free to contact the event organizer at 434-409-2971. This is a substance-free event. Ticket prices are to cover equipment costs.
