As the spring rains begin, we look forward to walks in our region’s breathtaking trails, where deep in the forest, we feel protected under the canopy of elder trees. We might also feel awe for what some scientists argue is happening underground: a web of relationships whereby trees talk to each other. With the help of fungal friends (mycorrhiza), trees share water and sugary nutrients, and communicate about drought, diseases, and pests. They live, thrive, and survive in community. Walking in city parks and streets, we might wonder if this web is also active under our gritty feet. We don’t really know. Studying forest webs is hard enough, let alone in the urban forest. Urban trees live in very different conditions: some commune in parks and slopes, while street trees persevere in mostly narrow right-of-ways, and even gravelly ground, making it hard to study mycorrhizal networks. Yet, ultimately, what makes the research inspiring is how it affirms the life-sustaining qualities of communal living. And we don’t need to go underground to see this! Above ground, urban trees create webs of support and habitat, keeping other plants hydrated with their droplets, marine life healthy by mitigating water pollution, and humans safe in their shade. While we wait to learn more about urban mycorrhizal networks, we can help grow the web of relationships we already know about: let’s plant trees next to lone trees in our blocks; learn about urban soil health; and reach out to our neighbors, like the trees and fungi do!

Green Blocks: Hilltop, Year 2

On March 14th, we held the planting event for the second year of Green Blocks: Hilltop at the Tacoma Community House. This three-year program aims to plant around 600 trees to improve community resilience, human health, air and water quality, and individual quality of life. With the help of 39 volunteers and a Northwest Youth Corps crew, 86 trees were planted in the public right-of-way. A total of 109 trees were shared with 46 households in Hilltop. Thank you to our partners at the Tacoma Community House for sharing their space with us, to DJ Smokey Wonder for bringing nature soundscapes, and Second Cycle for bringing zany bikes for volunteers to test-ride.

Down and Dirty: Soil Building Secrets for a Greener World

Did you know that 25% of Earth’s biodiversity lives below the ground? The soil below us is not merely dirt. Far from it! It is a living, breathing thing that keeps us and the plants we love alive. We got to start this month by learning from Ea Murphy about the wonders of soil and the secrets of how to make sure it is happy and healthy. In a single cup of soil, there are 200 billion bacteria, 20 million protozoans, 100 nematodes, and 300,000 feet of fungi! Soil is complex! If you’re wondering about the soil in your yard or right-of-way, the first step to determine if it’s healthy or not is to look for green matter. If you don’t find any, it’s time to call the soil doctor. Check out our urban soils blog post to get started!

Potting in the Snow

As the snow fell Friday, March 12th, our newest Planting Coordinator, Fulton Bryant-Anderson (they/them) welcomed our Northwest Youth Corps Crews (NYCC) to the City of Tacoma Plant Holding Facility to pot 550 seedlings donated from Silva Seed and Propagation Nation. Thanks to Silva Seed we now have 200 Western Hemlock seedlings and 200 Incense Cedars seedlings; and thanks to Propagation Nation we have 150 Giant Sequoia seedlings in our rows. In the shelter of the Hoop House, Fulton taught NYCC staff best practices in potting up saplings, and winter plant ID. Thank you to the City of Tacoma for providing the Plant Holding Facility and the potting resources such as Targo, pots, and mulch. The web of relationships between NYCC, the City of Tacoma, and Silva Seed makes sharing free trees in Greater Tacoma and Pierce County possible!

ADVOCACY CORNER

As you may have heard, state funding for urban forestry activities in Washington has been up in the air in recent weeks, threatening several important Tacoma projects. We are happy to announce that, thanks to all of our advocacy efforts, state legislators have restored that funding in the budget that Governor Ferguson is expected to sign soon! We want to thank all of you who cared about this issue, spread the word in your networks, and contacted your elected officials. Your efforts paid off, and we expect the current funding to continue flowing! If you contacted your lawmakers with this urgent request, we encourage you to contact them again to say THANK YOU! They deserve to hear it.

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