​The Reforest Tacoma team aims to accomplish the following goals:

​

• ​Implement the City’s Existing UFMP

  • After nearly three years of study and interaction with community groups and citizens, and with the help of noted consultants, in December of 2019, the City Council of Tacoma formally adopted its Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP). It remains one of the best in the nation because it is based on community involvement and focused on the marriage of trees with other land uses, such as housing and transportation. It not only envisioned a strong healthy canopy, but it also committed to achieving an overall 30% canopy by 2030.​ There is sadly no chance of that happening. In fact, the canopy is essentially the same as it was in 2019, when that commitment was made. ​​

​

• Initiate an Aggressive 5-Year Planting Program​
  • With help from the Tacoma Tree Foundation, Grit City Trees, and other local organizations, the City is planting around 7,500 trees per year. This falls very short of what is needed to reach the City’s goal of 30%. If achievable, the City must plant at least 40,000 trees per year for the next five years to get close to our goal. If not achievable, the years can be extended, but the number of trees must be at least 200,000 within the shortest timeframe it is achievable. This is a major undertaking of significant expense, but it will cost far less than building the gray infrastructure to intercept the stormwater runoff the City is committed to stopping. ​

​

• Water and Maintain Newly Planted Trees
  • So often we see trees planted without any follow-up. They fight to survive, but because of the lack of rain in our warmer, and at times, very hot summer climate, many disappear before thy become a vital part of our canopy. Newly planted trees must be watered during from May through September of each year. The City must provide the resources, to begin pruning the canopy we have, as well as the new ones we plant.

​

• City to be Responsible for Right-of-Ways​
  • Tacoma is one of the very few cities who expect homeowners to plant and maintain trees on their parking strips. The law says the homeowner is entirely responsible for whatever happens on those PUBLIC right-of-ways (ROWs). The City must be responsible for planting and maintaining all tress on the ROW, as well as the sidewalks that may be uplifted by roots from trees. ROWs represent the largest opportunity to increase our tree canopy, and the City must take advantage of this opportunity.

​

• Protect our Significant Trees
  • To remove any tree with a trunk 18 inches in diameter or more, on either public or private land, the owner must obtain a permit from the City to proceed. The process to manage this requirement must be responsive and include a TRAQ (Tree Risk Assessment Qualified) certified arborist that is able to assess the condition and future expansion of a tree’s lifespan. Trees on private property can pose difficult obstacles to the construction of added housing and/or expanded recreational facilities. For such parcels, the rules adopted for Home in Tacoma shall apply. When such construction is completed, the permitting process will again apply. The City shall establish an expedited process for dealing with trees that endanger people or structures.

​

• Reduce Stormwater Runoff
  • The City shall adopt strategies for using trees to mitigate stormwater runoff. Many scientifically based studies have shown that trees combined with permeable ground can retain water at its source. Two hundred thousand new trees, planted with conscious effort to reclaim impervious surfaces, will significantly reduce the amount of stormwater that reaches our waterways.​​

​

• Reclaim Impervious Surfaces
  • The City shall establish a planned strategy to reduce the amount of impervious surface in the City. This includes researching and documenting impervious surfaces that can be reclaimed and converted to permeable ground capable of absorbing water. The City must allocate resources to removing impervious surfaces.

​

• Use Stormwater Fees to Fund the Reforestation of Tacoma
  • The City currently uses a very small portion of the stormwater service fees we pay every month to support urban forest programs. The City shall balance investments in green infrastructure with their large investments in gray infrastructure. The entire urban forest of Tacoma can be restored to a 30% canopy level for half the cost of building another water treatment facility, and that does not include the drains and pipes that must be placed precisely to capture water. And let’s not forget that gray infrastructure depreciates while green infrastructure continues to appreciate. The other advantage of stormwater fees is that they are insulated from budget shortfalls in the general fund and not affected by cuts in federal spending.

​

• Place the Right Tree in the Right Place
  • The City shall create a Right Tree in the Right Place program that specifies types of trees expected to live long lives that are best suited for stormwater retention in specific situations, such as width of right-of-way, street corners, parking lots, city sidewalks, underneath power lines, best for shade, best for wildlife, easiest to maintain, and other conditions as determined by the City. Then they must ensure every new tree planted by or for the City follows these specifications, and make the same specifications available to homeowners and residents.​

​

• Place Shade Trees on Commercial Streets
  • Street trees, when planted along sidewalks in front of commercial establishments or multi-unit housing, shall be at least 2-inches in diameter and within a permeable surface at least eight feet in diameter, and have a history of growing at least as high as the top of the second floor of the structures it faces. This will not only give relief to people walking the streets, it will also reduce the power required to run air conditioners in the buildings.​

​

• Inventory Trees and Impervious Surfaces
  • The City must create and maintain an inventory of trees within the City that serves to identify Heritage and other special trees, hazards due to existing trees, stumps that should be removed, pruning and watering needs, trees suffering from disease, areas of missing canopy, impermeable landscapes suitable for reclamation, and any other information to support a thriving urban forest in Tacoma.​

​

• Document Best Practices and Follow
  • The City must document best practices and ensure they are followed. They will educate residents, landscape service providers, developers and children regarding the value and proper care of trees for the effective management of stormwater by the City, including the development, production, and distribution of educational materials.