City of Tacoma expands urban forestry program

Tacoma expands its urban forestry program and advances implementation of the urban forest management plan.

By Michaela Ely

The Tacoma City Council voted on May 13 to expand the urban forestry program in the city and advance implementation of the urban forest management plan. 

This was a result of a broader policy discussion regarding the urban forest that occurred in November of 2024. 

The plan for an urban forest was authored between 2018 and 2019, which attempted to establish a baseline for where the city was at during that time, according to Project Manager Mike Carey. The plan dove into public engagement to figure out what residents would want and also compared benchmarks and services from neighboring cities. 

“Our residents have shared in countless formats that creating a thriving urban forest is important to them and today we have laid the groundwork for progress. Trees provide so many benefits to our community—from reducing flood damage to serving as a form of public health infrastructure that can help reduce feelings of stress and depression, protect against skin cancer, and foster a sense of community,” Council Member Kristina Walker said in a press release. 

The second phase of the plan for Tacoma’s urban forest is focused on taking action and has the city committing to specific strategies to enhance the urban forest and invest in the communities that need trees the most. 

“We have specific data on historic redlining for Tacoma and how infrastructure was built or not built throughout the city as a result. And then that also correlates to tree canopy as well. There’s a direct correlation there with historically redlined communities having low tree canopy,” Carey said. 

This data also looks at the impacts on health that this low tree canopy can have due to urban heat, air quality and stormwater, all of which directly relates to the tree canopy. 

“This resolution marks a vital step toward a greener, healthier Tacoma by advancing a phased approach to expand our Urban Forestry Program,” Mayor Victoria Woodards said in a press release. “These actions will strengthen our urban forest and improve quality of life across our city. I am grateful to our Infrastructure, Planning, and Sustainability Committee members for their leadership and vision in bringing this forward.” 

The urban forest program is meant to be biodiverse in order to account for pests and susceptibility to disease so that if a certain tree is susceptible, the rest will survive. The City of Tacoma has also developed a specific tree list in Appendix 7a-7d of the plan that includes the appropriate places to plant them. 

“In urban forest management, what we really focus on is climate adaptation, so making sure the species that you choose grow well within the parameters where you’re planting them, right, so they can handle the heat, they can handle the cold, they can handle the rain and the sun and all the elements you’re planting according to the right soil type or sun exposure,” Carey said. 

In the recent resolution passed by the city council, the actions approved included options for expanding grants for tree planting and unpaving, the study of new land use and development in regard to tree canopy management and preservation as well as the development of fiscal notes for expanding Tacoma’s maintenance of trees. 

“The City Council has a unique opportunity to dig into how it will balance the desire for more trees in our city with the need for additional housing development and broader City budget constraints,” Council Member John Hines said in a press release. “These next steps will help provide the City Council with a more robust understanding of new options and ideas for how to protect and enhance our tree canopy. Most importantly, this process will give City staff and the City Council the time and space needed to address a topic that is of high interest to many people in our community.” 

Questions have been directed towards the city since the removal of the sidewalk and trees in front of the Washington State History Museum on Pacific Avenue, across the street from UWT. However, it is a private development project that has its own rules to follow in terms of replanting trees. 

“That particular project has street tree requirements, and they will be replanting as part of their permit conditions of that project. We got a lot of phone calls about that as soon as it happened. But yes, it was a permitted development, and they are going to be here, replanting, actually, more trees than they took out,” Carey said.

To find more information about the City of Tacoma’s urban forest program and management plan, visit the city’s website.