Urban Forest Health
Project Management Support
Program: KCD’s Urban Forest Health Program provides direct services to cities to enhance, protect, and restore urban tree canopy through projects such as stewarding street trees, writing forested park management plans, and hosting tree giveaways. KCD works with cities to develop project scopes which KCD implements with in-house staff or contractors. Annually, $150,000 of the KCD Forestry Budget is available for project implementation for approximately three new city-chosen projects depending on total applications and project costs.
Process: Cities identify projects they would like to pursue and respond to KCD’s Letter of Interest request in March. KCD’s Urban Forest Working Group reviews submissions, selects projects based on set criteria, and works with cities to develop project scopes which KCD supports in-house or bids out.
Funds: This is not a grant program but a services program. Funds are held, and projects are managed, by KCD. Projects should be completed within three years.
Project Examples:
Community Forest Stewardship at North SeaTac Park: working with the City of SeaTac, The Port of Seattle, Forterra, Partners in Employment and community volunteers, KCD wrote a 30-year management plan for North SeaTac park. As a result of this plan, KCD has also been able to create annual work plans for the different parties involved and undertake some invasive plant removal and native tree planting.
Kirkland and Kenmore Yard Tree Giveaways: The cities of Kirkland and Kenmore named as a priority increasing tree canopy on private land and requested tree giveaways. KCD developed an appropriate species list, purchased materials, promoted and managed the event, developed a tree planting demonstration and hand-out, and made sure that materials were also in Spanish and simplified Chinese.
PlanIt Geo Tree Canopy Assessments: Almost all of the 34 member jurisdictions have had a tree canopy assessment done providing metrics for city-specific geographies and a baseline analysis of canopy cover impacts on stormwater capacity. Cities’ maps and data are available in the web-based planning software, Canopy Planner, to support city partners with planning, community development, and urban forest management. KCD is offering updates to the canopy map as requested.
Contact: Ellen Arnstein, ellen.arnstein@kingcd.org, 206-581-3280.
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