Live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss and surrounded by azaleas make for a charming spring walk in Charleston, South Carolina.
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EVERETT — More trees, please!
A recently launched program in Everett aims to add 3,000 trees around parts of the city, and they’re free to anyone who wants one.
People and property owners in seven neighborhood areas can request a free tree from the Snohomish Conservation District.
The seven areas are large but not aligned to neighborhood boundaries. They are sections of the Delta, Holly, Westmont, Pinehurst, Twin Creeks and Evergreen neighborhoods and an area shared by the Riverside and Port Gardner neighborhoods.
The program is going for the next four years.
These seven areas were selected because they lack a good urban tree canopy, Penny Crispin with the Snohomish Conservation District said. Specifically, they were selected because they have low numbers of trees, a need for stormwater management and high traffic pollution.
Renters can get a tree planted if they get the landlord’s permission. Crispin said the conservation district will help coordinate with the property owner.
Business owners in the boundaries, too, can get free trees.
The city itself is using the program to add young trees to Jackson Park, Wiggums Hollow Park and the Interurban Trail, plus more spots, Crispin said.
How do you get a tree? By asking for one, or five, or 20 if you can use them. The Conservation District will look to see what trees suit your space best.
Consider them a matchmaker for trees.
A crew can plant them for you, too, at no charge.
“Every tree needs a great space,” Crispin said.
The Conservation District buys the trees from nurseries using the grant money funding the program. The list includes fruit-bearing trees, maples, pines, cedars, oaks, firs and more.
They expect to do a large wave of planting this fall, Crispin said. Conservation District representatives stopped by neighborhoods throughout July to give information about the program.
Tree canopies help give shady areas in neighborhoods which help reduce temperatures in the immediate area. They also have a de-polluting effect on stormwater management and slow down water flow.
Crispin explained that trees suck water down to the water table, and help prevent stormwater from flowing down streets. When stormwater runs in the street it picks up pollutants on its way to Puget Sound where stormwater ultimately goes.
Holding the watershed helps keep creeks alive during summer.
Crispin said trees also benefit mental health and reduce anxiety.
The program is operating through 2028.
Outside of Everett, the Conservation District is doing a similar program in four areas of Marysville, mainly near its downtown, and plans to do this program on the federal land of the Tulalip Tribes.
The program is funded through a $2.4 million grant as part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2023 and administered through the Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program.
For more information about the program, see www.snohomishcd.org/urban-community-forests, call 425-335-5634 or email outreach@snohomishcd.org
