City seeks green ‘tree stewards’

Thea Chard Ballard

Preserving Seattle’s tree canopy is a goal of the city’s (Mayor Mike McGinn spoke about it here) that can sometimes be controversial.

The city is actively looking for tree ambassadors. According to Jana of the city’s Office of Sustainability:

Seattle’s urban forest needs your help! Seattle has a goal to reach 30% canopy cover by 2037, growing from our current 23%. To meet that goal, we need to plant and care for 200,000 net new trees in residential areas; residential areas make up 67% of Seattle. To help meet this goal, we are recruiting Tree Ambassadors who can serve as local neighborhood advocates for our urban trees.

You will work in teams of 2-3 people to develop projects for your neighborhood which could include tree walks, invasive species removal workdays, and/or tree plantings. No previous tree experience necessary, only a desire to learn and a passion for urban greenery. You may apply individually or as a group.

Tree ambassadors are volunteers who, after being trained, work 5-10 hours a month, according to the city.

There’s an individual application here, and a team application here. You can also find them on the city’s Tree Portal page.

6 thoughts to “City seeks green ‘tree stewards’”

  1. if I had to guess, the Ballard area is FAR below the city’s 23% average tree cover.

    I’m pretty sure scandanavian people hate trees. Maybe they wanted a denuded appearance to remind them of the motherland?

  2. Can I qualify if I cut down two 100 foot tall fir trees last fall? they were quite big for a little city lot. My vegetables are very thankful for their demise.

  3. Wish the Mayor would come to my block and rip my apartment owners a new one for cutting down 75% of the trees we had in front of our buildings….including the most beautiful tree on the entire block.

    …and before anyone says it, if I could afford to move, that BS alone would make me leave.

  4. When you plant, just keep in mind where the underground utilities are; tree roots can cause a lot of damage to a sewer system.

    We had to remove a beautiful cherry tree that prior owners had planted right over the sewer line. We were very sad to take out the tree and still miss seeing the bright blossoms in Spring, but the sewer repair was gobs of money and we can’t let it happen again.

  5. I have petitioned to the city to allow us to cut down 2 x 100″+ cedar trees that are in our parking strip. They have denied us now for 3 years. The roots are in our pipes and tearing up our sidewalk but they keep claiming “these are wonderful trees that are healthy”. I’d love suggestions on how to convince them that they are not “wonderful” in their location and they must go.

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