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A program of the City of Seattle, Trees for Seattle is committed to growing and maintaining a healthy, awe-inspiring urban forest. |
This year is the 4th Annual Seattle Forest Week, beginning on October 26 with Green Seattle Day, continuing with daily events throughout the week, and ending with Arbor Day on November 2!
Seattle Forest Week is a celebration of our Urban Forest: the trees, plants, people, animals, fungi, and more that inhabit this City. This week’s events are great opportunities to join in on planting, forest bathing, bird & plant walks, and helping shape what future participation can look like! This year the theme is Nurturing Forests and Futures: Youth Engagement in Seattle’s Urban Forest.
You can get involved by attending any of the events, volunteering on Arbor Day and Green Seattle Day and getting out and enjoying Seattle’s Forest by taking a walk or spending time in a park. All community members are welcome, and no experience is necessary! Seattle Forest Week events are family friendly and open to all ages.
Check out seattleforestweek.org for more detailed event information and spread the word!
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It’s finally time to plant all the trees and plants you’ve been planning for! As the days get shorter and colder, and we see plants preparing for dormancy by changing color and dropping leaves, it can seem counter-intuitive to put new plants in the ground. But planting during the mild and wet PNW fall means that plants will get the best head start on a healthy life. They will have several months to absorb rainfall and to start growing roots. Planting in the fall reduces water usage because rain waters new plantings. Fall planting also increases infiltration of rain into soil and decreases stormwater runoff which is beneficial to our local streams and salmon.
There are lots of things to keep in mind when planting, but there are lots of online resources to help you, too!
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Call 811 before you dig to check on utility lines below! Also, find your sewer lines!
- Familiarize yourself with any regulations and guidelines, especially in regard to installing street trees or planting strip gardens in the public right-of-way.
- Select healthy trees and plants from local nurseries, where knowledgeable staff are available to answer questions and help you.
- Review best practices for how to plant a tree. Planting correctly has a large impact on the future health and success of your new plants! It’s worth taking the time to do it right. This tree planting video is super helpful to see the steps demonstrated and is also available in Spanish.
- Evaluate whether any new trees planted need staking (they often don’t!).
- Once you have finished planting, continue to care for your young trees and plants in the seasons to come by weeding, mulching, watering and pruning.
Thank you for all your planting efforts and investment! The landscaping you nurture not only benefits you, but also your neighbors, community and wildlife through improved air, water, shade, habitat, mental health, and more.
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Planting healthy trees starts with selecting a healthy tree from the nursery. Look for a tree with:
- A strong well developed single leader (trunk).
- Good branching structure with branches distributed around the trunk. The branches should be smaller in diameter than the main trunk.
- No large circling roots present on the surface of the container. Since container trees are often planted too deeply in their container, you may want to dig down and look for large circling roots under the soil.
- Avoid trees with lots of weeds or moss growing on the surface of the soil. This can indicate the tree has been in its pot for a long time and may be root bound.
- If the tree still has its leaves, examine the leaves and make sure they look healthy. Remember if it is fall, it is normal to see browning or yellowing leaves.
- Bright, healthy looking bark.
- A trunk and limbs free of insects or wounds.
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A visible trunk flare. Since container trees are often planted too deeply, you will likely need to dig down to locate the trunk flare, which is where the first major root extends from the trunk.
Look to nursery staff for help. Nursery staff are full of knowledge and want to help you. Ask them questions about the trees you see and tell them what you are looking for.
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The Urban Forestry team of Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) had great success with our 2023 tree planting season. We hit a record: planting 500 trees across developed parks citywide, with 80% located in high equity priority neighborhoods.
This success is largely attributed to the recent Metropolitan Park District (MPD) investment of a dedicated tree planting crew: 4 Maintenance Laborers and an Arboriculturist. This crew lead the development of the Trees for Seattle Parks program. This program aims to increase tree planting in parks, with a focus on planting in equity priority locations so that the benefits of trees can be experienced equitably citywide, while increasing overall canopy cover in developed parks of the city. SPR’s Tree Planting crew supported several events in the past year: Nelson Mandela Commemorative Tree Planting at Pratt Park, a Black Forest event at Powell Barnett, and Arbor Day at Jefferson Park.
This planting season, SPR’s Urban Forestry continues to focus on planting in high equity neighborhoods, as well as conducting the 5 years of establishment watering needed for all existing young trees.
SPR’s Urban Forestry team will be co-leading Arbor Day again this year and planting trees at Maplewood Playfield. Please see information in the events section below about this year’s Arbor Day event on November 2, if you’d like to join us and help plant trees!
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The single biggest threat to our local orca whales is that their primary food source, Chinook Salmon, are also endangered. Trees and plant life play an important role in absorbing rainfall and stormwater runoff with their leaf cover and root systems, which allows the water to be filtered into the soil and cleaned before entering streams where salmon live.
You can join the King County Conservation District on October 19 for their SEVENTH annual Orca Recovery Day. This event will be focused on restoring wildlife habitat and ensuring clean healthy water for our salmon and resident orcas.
Longfellow Creek October Forest Appreciation Event!
Saturday, October 5
9AM-12PM
Click here for coordinates Meet near the intersection of SW Juneau St and Longfellow Creek Trail (one block off Delridge)
Click here to register
Come celebrate World Migratory Bird Day and the local Longfellow Creek forest with Seattle Tree Stewards and Dirt Corps at our annual October volunteer appreciation event! Join us for a bird intro and walk through this section of the forest led by a local treasure, Ed Dominguez of the Seward Park Audubon Center, where we’ll learn about the role of birds in the forest, the fascinating resident and migratory birds present in this region, and what we can all do to support forest and bird health. We’ll finish with a hot BBQ lunch from a local vendor.
We will not be focusing on tree care work during this event, but we will be outside walking through vegetated areas with potentially wet weather and/or ground. Please dress for light hiking and for the weather that day. Close-toed shoes and long pants and sleeves are encouraged. We hope to see you there!
Meadowbrook Pond October Migratory Bird Day Tree Care Event
Saturday, October 12
10am - 1pm
Meet at the end of 36 Ave NE near the address 10700 36th Ave NE, and we'll walk into the park to our worksite together.
Click here to register
Seattle Tree Stewards and Dirt Corps are hosting an October Tree Care Event in honor of World Migratory Bird Day! Volunteers are invited to join us in continuing vegetation management (removing aggressive weeds) throughout Meadowbrook Pond. We’ll be learning about the role of fallen leaves and debris in the forest and how we can take care of our trees with mulch. We’ll also be diving into the role of birds, migratory as well as resident, in the health and ecosystem function of our forests! This will be a great time to learn about the nutrient cycle in forests, the importance of mulch for tree health, and the intricate relationship between our urban forests and local bird populations while making a tangible difference in the Meadowbrook Pond ecosystem.
All skill levels are welcome! Please wear clothing that can get dirty, including long sleeves, long pants, and closed-toed shoes. With fall here, please make sure to wear layers for the sun, rain, and cooler temperatures. We'll be providing the tools, snacks, and water to keep you hydrated and energized. Bring work gloves if you have them; if not, we'll have some you can borrow. We hope you'll join us!
Arbor Day 2024 at Maple Wood Playfield
November 2
9am-12pm
Click here for coordinates
Meet near the picnic shelter
Click here to register
Join us as we celebrate Seattle Forest Week, fall planting season, trees, and our community at Arbor Day! We will be planting large trees at a local park and along the street in the South Beacon Hill neighborhood this Arbor Day. Please bring your group, your family, or yourself and lend a hand to add canopy to our beautiful city. Please wear close-toed shoes, weather-appropriate clothes that can get dirty, and bring a water bottle. Tools, gloves, food and drink will be provided. Thank you for registering, it helps us greatly with estimating supplies!
The Green Seattle Partnership is a collaboration between the City of Seattle, community groups and non-profits, businesses, schools, and thousands of volunteers working together to restore and actively maintain the City's forested parklands. Check out their website and their calendar of volunteer events and signup to support Seattle's forested natural areas.
Events & Volunteer Opportunities
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