Let ${\rm Z}(G)$ and ${\rm gp}(G)$ be the zero forcing number and the general position number of a graph $G$, respectively. Known results imply that ${\rm gp}(T)\ge {\rm Z}(T) + 1$ holds for every nontrivial tree $T$. It is proved that the result extends to block graphs. For connected, unicyclic graphs $G$ it is proved that ${\rm gp}(G) \ge {\rm Z}(G)$. The result extends neither to bicyclic graphs nor to quasi-trees. Nevertheless, a large class of quasi-trees is found for which ${\rm gp}(G) \ge {\rm Z}(G)$ holds.