On a rainy Saturday in late February, Tacoma volunteers gathered near Mann Elementary School to begin planting what city officials describe as the first wave of trees for a new SafeTREE Routes to School initiative. According to reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting, more than 80 trees were planted during the kickoff. The work is supported by a Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) urban forestry grant awarded to Tacoma in 2024.

Public records from DNR show that the award totals more than $1.3 million for five Tacoma projects aimed at increasing tree canopy in areas with limited shade. The department’s Urban and Community Forestry Program lists Tacoma as a recipient of this funding, which focuses in part on improving routes children use to walk or bike to school.

City staff told OPB that the SafeTREE effort will target four walking routes in South and East Tacoma—neighborhoods where canopy coverage is relatively low. Chandra Rourde, Tacoma’s Safe Routes to School coordinator, said trees can make school corridors feel safer by adding shade and naturally encouraging drivers to slow down. Lisa Kenny, who coordinates the Community Trees Program through the city’s Urban Forestry program, said the routes are selected in partnership with residents who choose to participate.

According to OPB’s reporting, households along the proposed routes receive notices inviting them to request a street‑side tree. Once they respond, the nonprofit Tacoma Tree Foundation conducts site assessments to determine where trees can be placed without conflicting with utilities or right‑of‑way requirements. Volunteers then plant the selected species, and the city uses grant funding to support early watering and care.

Heidi Asplund, an urban forestry technician for DNR’s northwest region, told OPB she joined volunteers at the February event and noted that late‑winter conditions offer an ideal window for establishing young trees. Asplund also said new federal‑funded grants administered through the program are temporarily paused, though the 2024 award supporting Tacoma’s routes remains active.

While Tacoma is outside Cowlitz County, the statewide grant program that made SafeTREE possible is the same one used by communities all along the I‑5 corridor, including those in Southwest Washington. DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry awards commonly support neighborhood‑scale plantings, street‑tree maintenance, and heat‑mitigation strategies—initiatives that Longview, Kelso, and other local jurisdictions have sought in recent years as canopy disparities and pedestrian‑safety concerns continue to shape land‑use planning.

For families and school districts across the region, Tacoma’s rollout offers a real‑time example of how state urban‑forestry dollars can be tied to student mobility and neighborhood health. As additional funding cycles reopen, similar projects could become more accessible to smaller cities looking to expand shade coverage near schools and along heavily traveled walking routes.

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