Tacoma Tree Project

In partnership with the Tacoma Tree Foundation, the Shalom Project is exploring direct-action and advocacy efforts to grow Tacoma's urban tree canopy, as this plays an important role in mitigating impacts of climate change and is interrelated with other justice issues.

Benefits of Urban Trees

Urban tree canopy is critically important to the holistic health of our planet. As you can see from this graphic produced by The Nature Conservancy of Washington, trees have environmental and societal benefits. From an environmental perspective, we know that trees clean our air and water, help reduce dangerous temperatures, and provide homes for a rich array of biodiversity critical to sustaining life. Below are some facts about urban trees outlined by The Nature Conservancy that members of the Shalom Project found particularly compelling:

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• Within the same city, areas without tree canopy can be up to 22 degrees warmer than areas with shade provided by a tree canopy
• Trees help moderate temperature in both directions; properly placed around buildings, trees can reduce air conditioning needs by 30 percent and can also save 20–50 percent in energy used for heating
• Trees absorb and store carbon dioxide, which is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gases causing climate change. In the United States alone, urban trees store over 708 million tons of carbon and capture an additional 28.2 million tons of carbon per year. On a more intimate scale, the average carbon footprint for a person in the U.S. is 16 tons of carbon dioxide emitted each year; one tree removes about 1 ton of carbon dioxide per year. A single mature tree also produces enough oxygen in a year needed for a family of 4 (approximately 260 lbs)!
• Urban forest systems also slow stormwater flow and filter out pollutants, reducing the burden on water treatment facilities.
• According to the Nature Conservancy, based on studies from the USDA Forest Service:
• Residents of buildings with more trees and grass reported that they knew their neighbors better, socialized with them more often, had stronger feelings of community and felt safer and better adjusted
• There is a strong relationship in many cities between higher levels of tree canopy and lower levels of crime, regardless of socioeconomic factors
• Residents of areas with the highest levels of greenery were 3x as likely to be physically active and 40% less likely to be overweight or obese than residents living in the least green settings

This photo was shared by the Tacoma Tree Foundation comparing a street with no tree canopy to one with more tree canopy, asking the viewer on which street they'd feel more comfortable walking.

Tree Canopy in Tacoma is an Equity Issue

Unfortunately, we've learned that Tacoma's tree canopy is the lowest of the entire Puget Sound.

Overall, Tacoma's average tree canopy is 20% but it is even half this in some neighborhoods; for example, the neighborhood around the Tacoma Mall has only 10% tree canopy. We have also learned that areas with lower tree canopy align with areas of higher racial diversity and lower equity metrics, like socioeconomic status. Various maps showing inequity in the Tacoma Equity Index look very similar to the tree canopy map shown to the right. Tacoma's tree canopy map also looks very similar to redlining maps from the 1930s in which government identified areas of "higher risk" for investors (higher risk being people of color lived there), resulting in a whole slew of systemic issues, including much less infrastructure, home ownership, and tree planting in these neighborhoods.

The Good News!

The City of Tacoma recognizes Tacoma's lower tree coverage as having negative implications for health, climate change, and equity so they have committed to increasing the average tree canopy from 20% to 30% by 2030 — a very ambitious goal! One of the City's key partners in these efforts is the Tacoma Tree Foundation, a non-profit that provides free trees and environmental education with a focus on growing the tree canopy in underserved communities. As part of the Shalom Project, members of both Peace Lutheran and St. Mark's have been engaging with the Tacoma Tree Foundation to learn about the issue and find ways to collaborate. We had hopes of having a county-wide tree giveaway hosted at Peace Lutheran in Fall of 2022, but, sadly, complications arose that halted those plans. However, we are hopeful for a smaller tree planting in the near future, focused specifically for residents in the community surrounding Peace Lutheran in the hilltop. The Shalom Project has also discussed hosting joint education events between our two churches to provide more information about the importance of trees and the state of urban forestry in our communities. This may also include advocacy opportunities to urge the City of Tacoma to include tree maintenance as a line item in the budget rather than relying on small businesses to cover these costs for trees planted on MLK along the expanded light rail line. So, things are in the works! The Shalom Project does not have a specific call to action right now, but there are many ways to learn more and stay connected. Contact the Shalom Project indicating your interest in staying updated with direct-action and advocacy opportunities!

To learn more about urban forestry and ways to individually get involved in Tacoma, check-out the Tacoma Tree Foundation and the City of Tacoma's Urban Forestry site, including Grit City Trees and Tree Coupon programs offering free or discounted trees to Tacoma residents!