Did you know there are several varieties of willow in the Pacific Northwest, including the Pacific willow (Salix lucida), Hooker’s willow (Salix hookeriana), Scouler’s willow (Salix scouleriana), and the Sitka willow (Salix sitchensis)? In this blog post, we share why willows are so important for soil and habitat stability while we explore why this iconic tree is TTF’s Planting Coordinator’s tree of significance.

This year, we turned seven. Thanks to your support, we have been on a growth trajectory since our days as a seedling foundation!

The Tacoma Pierce County Climate Leadership Cohort Digital Exhibit showcases the Capstone Projects of the 2025 climate leaders. Visit to learn about their contributions to our region’s communities and from the research and relationships they built as part of the program.

Guest writer, Easton Umansky, a junior at the University of Puget Sound, shares his college research project to visually document low tree equity and high tree equity in Tacoma’s neighborhoods. Learn about the tool he produced and how you can support this meaningful research.

Home In Tacoma Phase Two was passed by Tacoma City Council on November 19, 2024. Almost a year later and trees on private property remain unprotected. What happened?

As Washington's State Tree, the western hemlock is a charming example of the Pacific Northwest’s ecological majesty.

Trees are incredible beings that provide countless benefits to our communities. From our air and water, to our energy and traffic, trees play a role in how we are affected by an abundance of elements around us.

Get to know TTF’s Planting Director, Jaala Smith, through the European beech tree. The tree that provided them with shelter and wonder while growing up, today is part of their efforts to support community healing through planting in historically underserved communities.

Trees are incredible beings that provide countless benefits to our communities. From our air and water, to our energy and traffic, trees play a role in how we are affected by an abundance of elements around us.

If you want to know more about how to identify trees, here’s how to ID two PNW superheroes: the Douglas fir and bigleaf maple.

Our partners at the WSU Forest Health Lab in Puyallup have organized a series of training events in Tacoma for volunteers interested in inventorying trees and plantable spaces. Attend one of the upcoming trainings to learn about the importance of Tacoma’s urban forest and the approaches for participating in the Grit City Tree Count.

Soil provides five essential functions in an ecosystem: water regulation, buffering against pollutants and pathogens, sustaining plant and animal life, cycling nutrients through the ecosystem, and providing physical stability.

In the summer of 2024, Pierce County conducted a community heat-mapping project to collect data on urban heat islands and produce a heat map. These are the results.

Some might say that sunflowers are the trees of flowers. For Claudia Linares, they are symbols of light and guides in her search to help people heal and come together.

In 2024, we broke our tree distribution record, grew operations, our full-time team, and our donor and volunteer base. In our yearly overview, we share these big wins and what we’re looking forward to in the coming year.

This year’s Cohort—our largest yet!—worked on a diverse array of topics, created opportunities for neighbors to engage with them, and started movements! Read our latest blog post to learn all about their projects.

What can we learn from comparing water use in urban trees to water use in forest trees? Steven Quick shares recent research comparing urban trees and forest trees to determine which species of trees are more likely to be resilient in urban heat. The results help us understand why coniferous species, and native species more generally, can do better in urban conditions and. how we can take care of them.

Western redcedar dieback has been observed throughout the Northwest, leading to growing concerns about their survival in future climates. This study conducted by the WSU Ravenholt Urban Forest Health Lab with support from the Tacoma Tree Foundation is helping us understand how to make sure this amazing tree continues to grow in our state.

In our latest blog post, Eden Standley and Luke Vannice explore why ROWs were created in the first place, the challenges street trees face in Tacoma, and how to properly and creatively plant in this space!

Our city and our region can house everyone who wants to live here by offering many types of affordable and attainable housing, and this density can coexist with an abundance of trees and high-quality greenspaces. Here are 4 reasons why arguments against Home in Tacoma 2 fall flat!