Local and national partners work together to produce adetailed toolkit that support a healthy urban tree canopy in Central Puget Sound – and a model that regions around the country can replicate.

Trees provide a multitude of benefits in our urban environments, but as climate change progresses choosing the right tree will become increasingly important.

Check out the new tools and resources to help identify opportunities to invest in high-impact tree planting and preservation.

Trees provide a variety of benefits for people. Learn more about what trees do for us and what we can do for them!

The Nature Conservancy has collaborated with partners throughout the Puget Sound region to support our urban tree canopy through planting, preserving and maintaining trees at residences, parks, schools and restoration sites. These projects are an opportunity to contribute to the health and resiliency of communities.

Rainier Beach Action Coalition is partnering with DIRT Corps to include trees as part of Corner Greeters, pop-up events designed to activate and engage the neighborhood.

We dug in the dirt, planted trees, and connected with community this October! Throughout the month, staff at The Nature Conservancy traveled around Puget Sound to share the benefits of trees and plant along with volunteers and our organizational partners. 

From climate resiliency to community well-being, trees provide a variety of benefits.  Here are a few things you can do to be an advocate for trees.

Each of us can support the health of the trees in our region – whether it is caring for the tree in your yard, talking about the value of trees with your neighbors and others, or volunteering with a local organization to plant trees in restoration sites and local green spaces. 

People across Puget Sound shared how they connect with trees through our onllne contest. From photos to paintings to poems, read on to explore the diverse ways that trees inspire us

Trees need maintenance throughout their lives, but it is particularly important right after planting while the tree is establishing. 

“Most people don’t know about how trees benefit so many things and how its all connected through a huge and complicated system.”

As Forest Partnerships Manager, Darcy finds herself among the trees pretty often. But one special species still stops her in her tracks.

Whether in Germany, the midwest, Seattle or its native Chile, this tree springs eternal in the author’s life.

“Our front lawn of grass would eventually dry, brown, and poke at my small, soft feet; and two enormous sycamore trees stood side-by-side like sentinels protecting our small family.”

Raised in New England, our Central Cascades community coordinator recalls a joke from a recent WA hike: “‘They must have stolen this scent from Yankee Candle!’ This joke is an artifact of our disbelief that any collection of trees can be that fragrant.”

“We want to ‘escape’ to nature, but there should be a greater effort to make sure it’s all around us, especially in urban settings.”

“I put my hands on all the trees I remembered. They were the same, perhaps minutely broader. And who knows? Maybe they remembered me too.”

Sharp wind whistles through needles / The sentinels remain in their silence / Equilibrium manifested.

“This white pine is now tattooed on his best friend. It's on greeting cards sent around the world. It hangs on the walls of his communities across the country. It's the tree tying us all together.”

“I’ve come back to trees in my recent work, exploring the history of logging and stewardship related to trees for the City of Redmond and also working with local leaves and plants for alternative photography.”

“Rooted in Puget Sound” is a celebration – an opportunity to share our love for trees and stories of how we connect with them.

Our lead scientist (and marine biologist) reveres trees after concluding that they are full of fish.

“As soon as she was into the ground you could see how much she needed to be there and how happy she was.”

From climate resiliency to community well-being, trees provide a variety of benefits.  Here are a few things you can do to be an advocate for trees.

Trees need maintenance throughout their lives, but it is particularly important right after planting while the tree is establishing.