Tree Planting Day 2026

The Alta Environmental Center (AEC) wraps up its summer operations with our largest—and favorite—event of the year: Tree Planting Day. With support from Cottonwood Canyons Foundation (CCF) and TreeUtah, our crews led 50 volunteers across Alta’s slopes, getting their hands dirty while planting 1,000 Engelmann spruce saplings.

Volunteers at the top of Collins, ready to reforest Alta | Photo: Adam Fehr

Restoring the Slopes

Trees aren’t just fun obstacles to bounce around in deep powder—they play an essential role in the health and stability of Alta’s mountain ecosystem. After decades of mining stripped much of Alta’s slopes, the consequences of a barren landscape began to take their toll. Without trees and other vegetation to anchor the soil, deadly avalanches and landslides swept down the steep mountainsides—claiming many lives and repeatedly crippling the Town of Alta. The impacts reached beyond the slopes and into Little Cottonwood Creek, as the loss of vegetation allowed sediment and contaminants to move more easily into the watershed. The people of Alta and communities downstream fell ill as this vital resource became heavily polluted. It became clear that restoring Alta’s landscape would require bringing back one of its most important natural defenses: trees.

Alf's High Rustler and Eagle's Nest 1919 vs 2018

That change began taking shape in the 1930s. During the Great Depression, professional Norwegian ski jumper and U.S. Forest Service foreman, Alf Engen, was tasked with exploring the Wasatch to find the home of Utah's next ski area. After traveling from Brighton over Catherine’s Pass and into Albion Basin, Engen recognized Alta’s potential—but before they could continue, the landscape needed some major TLC.

In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps arrived in Utah and began extensive restoration work in Little Cottonwood Canyon—helping to restore vegetation, stabilize the landscape and lay the groundwork for a healthier mountain ecosystem.

It was the beginning of one of Alta’s longest-standing traditions. More than 90 years later, that work continues. Each summer, the AEC joins community volunteers and local partners to plant native trees across the mountain—helping the next generation of Alta’s forest take root.

From seeds to saplings

Long before volunteers put their hands in the dirt on Tree Planting Day, the journey of Alta’s newest trees has already begun. Each summer, healthy tree stands across Alta are scouted by the AEC and US Forest Service for abundant cone production. Forest Service climbers then collect cones from high in the canopy before the seeds are cleaned, sorted and sent to a Forest Service nursery in Idaho, where they are nurtured into saplings.

Where these seeds come from matters. Seeds are collected near the elevation where the trees will eventually be planted, helping ensure each sapling is well suited to its future home. In recent years, Engelmann spruce has been a primary planting focus due to its ability to withstand the cold, snowy conditions of Alta’s high-elevation environment and its ability to thrive in the changing climate.

Volunteers tucking sapling into its new home on the slopes | Photo: Adam Fehr

After a year of growing, the saplings make their way back to Alta—ready for the next chapter of their journey.

Planting with purpose

On September 12th, the AEC teamed up with CCF and TreeUtah to guide 50 volunteers on a mission to plant 1,000 Engelmann spruce saplings across Alta’s slopes.

On a crisp, sunny Saturday morning, volunteers hopped aboard their magic carriage—aka Collins lift—and rode to the top of the mountain, where the day’s work began. From there, they split into three groups and headed to designated planting zones chosen to support future forest growth and add new life to existing tree stands. This year’s saplings found homes below East Baldy Traverse (EBT), along the road to Extrovert, Glory Gulch, Greeley and alongside Gunsight.

Volunteers planting below the EBT (left) and along Extrovert (right) | Photos: Adam Fehr

Each planting zone is thoughtfully selected to give these tiny trees their best chance to take root and thrive. While we may not see these saplings reach maturity in our lifetime, Tree Planting Day is about much more than putting a few small trees on a big mountainside. It’s about giving back to a place that brings us together and fostering a community committed to caring for it long into the future.

Alta Tree Planting Day 2026 | Photo: Adam Fehr

So, the next time you’re gliding across the EBT or cruising down Gunsight, send some positive thoughts to the little saplings below. They’re busy putting down roots and growing into the next generation of Alta’s forest.