Frequently Asked Questions

Tacoma Tree Foundation is a 501c3 community organization focused growing community stewardship of the urban forest across Greater Tacoma through planting, education, and advocacy. To accomplish that mission, we provide educational programs about trees, tree selection and planting, tree care, and collective action. We also share and distribute trees through a variety of programs and help organize community members for neighborhood tree planting activities. Through these tree programs and activities, we hope to bring people together to create a greener, healthier, and more connected Tacoma area.

We are often asked “what tree should I plant in my yard?”, but the answer depends on several factors, including the specific site conditions, such as the amount of space, sun, and water available. People also have different preferences and knowing what your own preferences are helps narrow down the possibilities. Some questions to ask yourself are: what size tree am I comfortable with? Would I like a tree that shades my house? Would I like a tree that is evergreeen? What benefits am I hoping to get from the tree (e.g. attract songbirds, showy flowers, reduce flooding)?

Once you know what the site conditions are, how large a tree you want, and what benefits you would like, then you are ready to dig deeper. Tacoma Tree Foundation offers a program called “Choosing Wisely” to help you think through the decision-making process. In addition, you can take a look at our Tree Care page for more information.

Another consideration for tree selection is local availability. Your ideal tree may not be available at the time that you are ready to plant; however, if you know the characteristics that you are looking for it is easier to choose a different tree.

When planting trees in urban areas, it is important to look around. Knowing where possible infrastructure and utility conflicts could happen will help prevent any problems in the future. You can see a detailed list of recommended distances here.

Recently planted trees need some help establishing. In the days following planting, the tree may need some extra water. For the first three to five years, you should give the tree 15 gallons of water per week during the summer.

Just like us, trees experience stress. All sorts of things can cause trees to experience stress. Some common causes of stress are drought and inadequate water, too much water, too little space for roots to grow, bark damage from a lawn mower or weed-wacker, pests and diseases, too much sun, and compaction. Common signs of tree stress are: significant loss of leaves on a portion of the tree (this is called dieback), discoloration of the leaves, visible damage on the bark, woodpecker activity, and watersprouts (a bunch of small branches coming from one point). If you suspect that your tree is unhealthy, you can contact WSU Extension to find out whether it is diseased. If your tree is potentially hazardous, you will need to contact an ISA-certified arborist. You can find a list of local ISA-certified arborists here.

If you have heard people talking about a right-of-way when talking about trees, you might have wondered what exactly that means, and you would not be alone. A Right-of-Way is generally an easement, which, in Tacoma, often means that it is land owned by the City of Tacoma or another public agency but cared for by the adjacent landowner. In most places in Tacoma, the Right-of-Way might include a sidewalk, a planting strip, a parking strip, a curb, and it may even go into your yard 5 to 10 feet, sometimes more. The Right-of Way often includes above ground and underground utilities, such as powerlines, communication lines, gas lines, water lines, and sewer lines. You can find out approximately where the Right-of-Way line is near your home by checking out the DART map (keep in mind that this is not equivalent to an official land survey).

Since the Right-of-Way is an easement, the city and utilities have guidelines for how and what trees can be planted there. Once you know where you would like to plant a tree, it is important to Call Before You Dig to have the utilities marked. This is a free service and a required step. You can learn more about the requirements and guidelines for planting street trees in the Right-of-Way here.

Maybe. We do love to share plants, and the plants in your yard may be a great addition to our next plant share/tree giveaway. You can send a message to info@tacomatreefoundation.org to let us know what kind of tree you have to share, and someone will let you know if there is an opportunity to share trees coming up. Right now, Tacoma Tree Foundation is not able to dig up and pot seedlings from your yard, but, if you would like to dig them and pot them up in containers, you can follow the instructions here. It is helpful if you can care for them for a few weeks to make sure that they have survived transplanting. Once you have some healthy trees, you can share them directly with your friends and neighbors, or reach back to Tacoma Tree Foundation at info@tacomatreefoundation.org to arrange to drop them off at an upcoming event.

We love volunteers. There are many ways that you can get involved. In the fall, spring, and winter, we need help moving trees (we always need help with volunteers that have pickup trucks) and help planting trees. You can help plant at one event or take our training and become a Community Tree Steward to help plant your community. If you are ready to volunteer, fill out this quick survey to let us know what you are interested in doing and when you are available to help.

If you love trees, you probably want others to love them, too. We have great programs for everyone! If they want a tree, want to plant a tree for themselves or others, walk with trees, or learn about science, environmental justice or history related to trees, all you have to do is lead them to our Programs page where they can discover how to get involved.

If you’re curious about how we define some of the terminology we use here at TTF, like environmental justice or stormwater or urban forestry, feel free to reference our glossary for definitions and additional resources.