While Earth Month may be over, the South Sound’s year of action for the planet is just beginning. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, the Earth Day South Sound partnership has committed to a goal of achieving a healthy tree for every child in the South Sound. To reach this goal, we need the help of all our community members.

Want to help, but not sure where to begin? That’s ok! Here’s our list of the Top 5 Actions to Take for Trees this upcoming year.

1. Care for Existing Trees

Sometimes keeping trees healthy requires a little extra care from us, their human neighbors. There are many trees in our communities that don’t receive regular care that could benefit from small actions throughout the year. One of the highest priority actions is watering trees during the dry season. A good rule of thumb to keep trees happy and healthy during the summer is to give them 15 gallons of water/week.

Other actions that benefit trees include removing invasive species, properly mulching around the tree (keep mulch 3 inches away from the trunk), and keeping an eye for damage by disease or pests. You can pledge to adopt the trees you take care of, and adopted trees will be counted towards our goal of 210,000 healthy trees in the South Sound!

2. Participate in Tree Planting or Restoration Events

Planting more trees is another way we’ll be meeting our goal. In the South Sound, our tree planting season begins in the fall and goes through late winter. That way, recently planted trees get enough rain to survive and adapt to their new environments.

During the fall, there will be planting events all across the region that need volunteers. Organizations and partnerships like MetroParks Tacoma, Pierce Conservation District, Pierce County Parks and Recreation, the Green Tacoma Partnership, Tacoma Tree Foundation, the City of Tacoma, and many more, will be planting trees. To learn more about planting events and how to sign up for them, visit our events calendar.

In addition to planting events, there are opportunities for private landowners to plant on their own property too. Limited to Tacoma residents, Grit City Trees, a program offered for City of Tacoma residents, allows neighbors to work together to get free street trees planted in their neighborhoods. The City and Tacoma Public Utilities also offer the Tree Coupon program for all Pierce County residents, which offers $30 off up to 3 trees at participating nurseries, which you can plant wherever you want in your yard.

During the summer, while we won’t be planting trees, there will be plenty of restoration work happening. Restoration work involves removing invasive plants and cleaning up planting sites for the fall. This work creates healthy conditions for newly planted native species to grow. An additional benefit of restoration work is creating more habitat for our region’s wildlife too. Metro Parks Tacoma and Pierce Conservation District frequently host restoration events, and you can learn more about them on the EDSS events calendar too.

3. Register to Map Trees with Tree Plotter

Tree Plotter is an interactive mapping tool that lets us know where trees are planted in our communities, and what kinds of trees they are. Having this information helps us know where trees are most needed in our communities, and what species we should plant to keep our urban forests diverse and strong.

Mapping trees is a fun citizen science project the whole family can enjoy! Next time you take a walk around your neighborhood, try to identify what trees line the streets (or that don’t--noticing a lack of trees is equally important).

To get started using Tree Plotter, email info@tacomatreefoundation.org.

4. Reduce the Need for Deforestation

Individual consumption has a significant impact on deforestation worldwide. Demand for palm oil, beef, and paper products has led to massive and widespread clearing of forests especially in the tropics. As tropical forests serve as large carbon sinks, trapping atmospheric carbon that otherwise contributes to global warming, this is especially bad (rephrase). Reducing your own consumption of these products decreases worldwide demand, making the act of clearing forests less profitable. Personal actions like eating less red meat, buying products made with sustainably harvested palm oil, buying recycled content paper products, and properly recycling paper all help keep trees in the ground.

Resources for Getting Started:

Tips on How to Eat Less Meat: https://www.buzzfeed.com/melissaharrison/how-to-eat-less-meat
How to Do a Household Palm Oil Audit: https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/which-everyday-products-contain-palm-oil
Tacoma Recycles Information: www.tacomarecycles.org
Washington State Recycle Right information: https://ecology.wa.gov/recycleright

5. Learn How to Contact Your Local Elected Officials

Zoning codes and other laws in your town have a lot of influence over where trees do or do not get planted. Advocating for more trees planted and maintained in your town is another pathway towards reaching our goals of a healthy tree for every child. Elected representatives don’t know what their constituents care about unless they speak up--if you’ve never talked to a local official before, talking about trees is a good place to start!

Here’s a list of local governments & public organizations in the South Sound:

To find your Pierce County Councilmember, State & National Representatives: https://matterhornwab.co.pierce.wa.us/infobyaddress/
Tacoma Port Commissioner Meetings:http://portal.veconnect.us/p/portoftacoma
Pierce Conservation District Board Meetings: https://piercecd.org/261/Meet-Our-Board-Members
Tacoma City Council District Map: https://www.cityoftacoma.org/government/city_council/district_map
City of Puyallup Council Meetings & Members: https://www.cityofpuyallup.org/631/City-Council
City of Gig Harbor Council Meetings & Members: https://www.cityofgigharbor.net/267/City-Council

April is just the beginning of our year of action, and we can’t wait to see how many trees we can plant and care for when we’re all working together! For more information on how you can get involved, visit our website www.earthdaysouthsound.org.