Upcoming events
Check out what’s next! Our events are FREE! Click on the event to learn more and register!
Snake Lake Mindfulness Walk
Join us as we welcome spring in a mindfulness walk at Tacoma’s Nature Center Snake Lake. In this walk, Sarah Low will help us wake up to the sounds of spring by practicing mindfulness as we listen to the trees, the Park’s wildlife–herons, finches, wrens, juncos, crows, amphibians, and more!--our breathing, and silence.
Bring comfortable shoes and dress according to the day’s forecast so you can enjoy the walk! No pets and no bikes allowed for the walk unfortunately. Feel free to request any accommodations if you need at the registration form.
Meeting Point: Tacoma Nature Center, 1919 South Tyler Street, Tacoma, WA 98405
Managing Your Grounds
Managing your grounds and yard in tune with nature. Permaculture and pesticide-free with Cascadia College and University of Washington Bothell.
The joint campus of Cascadia College and University of Washington Bothell have been managed pesticide free since 2006 and contain a 58-acre restored wetland since its creation in 2000. Now the campus is pushing the boundaries on what can be done for grounds and yard management, supporting pollinators and wildlife, reducing mowing, and working to maintain tree cover. Come learn about these practices, and the pathways you can take to develop your own gardens and landscapes!
BIOS:
Stephan Classen is the Assistant Director of Sustainable Practices at Cascadia College, where he manages the sustainability bachelor's program, supports facilities and grounds management for sustainable practices, and works with partners to create programming and education activities, including with UW Bothell. He was the Aquaculture Education Specialist for the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center (PACRC) in Hilo, Hawai`i, and a Biological Technician for two national parks. He received his Masters of Science in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science with a focus in aquaculture at the University of Hawai`i at Hilo, and his B.S. in Environmental Land and Water at the University of Arizona.
Tyson Kemper practices organic land care at the shared campus of University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia Community College. He came of age in the garden working for his father’s small landscape business and later went on to earn a degree in Botany from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in Forest Resources from the University of Idaho. This collective education provided Tyson opportunities to wander, observe, and learn from the wild spaces of the Pacific Northwest while working as an environmental consultant and later as a rare plant botanist for the Washington Natural Heritage Program. Tyson has since come full circle and found his place beside the buttercups in the garden again.
Forest Therapy Walk with Denise McDermott
Join Denise McDermott (MSW, LICSW), Association of Nature and Forest Therapy licensed guide on a forest therapy walk in the NW Native Plant Garden. With her guidance, we will slow down and, through an evolving series of sensory-focused invitations, mindfully interact with the world around us. The guide holds space for every person to arrive at their unique relationship with the Earth in their own way while offering opportunities to witness our shared connection with the Earth as human people.
This program is capped at 10
Dress for our ever-fluctuating Pacific Northwest weather. Layers, umbrellas, hats, gloves, sunblock, raingear. A backpack is not necessary.
Whatever would make you feel most comfortable. If it’s wet, I like to wear rain pants so that I can sit/kneel wherever I’d like without getting wet. Your car will be within one minute of where we are so that you can leave whatever you don’t need in the car.
Denise McDermott, MSW, LICSW is a licensed therapist who has lived in the Puget Sound area for most of her life. After seeing positive results early on in her practice when working with clients in natural settings, she sought to create more ways to incorporate nature in all aspects of her practice and her life. She has found that a hike on Mt. Rainier or time spent watching a snail work its way around the rim of the birdbath can be equally rewarding when time is taken to notice with intention. Being trained and certified as a guide with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy has allowed Denise to further her connection with nature and she views guiding both groups and individuals in this practice as an honor and a gift.
Nature and Wellness Presentation
During this presentation, we will dig deep into the benefits of time outside, learn about practices that bring us closer to the natural world, and discover ways to cultivate nature nearby.
Tree Stewards Training - Tacoma
Tree Stewards are community tree champions who help grow and protect Tacoma's urban tree canopy.
Do you care about Hilltop? Do you care about Tacoma? Would you like to help increase its tree canopy?
As part of our Tacoma Creates program, the Tacoma Tree Foundation is offering a FREE Tree Stewards Training. This day-long training will include information on tree selection, planting, and pruning young trees. Participants will also learn how to communicate about trees with their neighbors and how to engage in the Hilltop or Tacoma tree planting and tree care event.
Up to 20 tree stewards will receive the skills they need to take local actions and engage with their communities about sustainability and stewardship.
Snacks, light refreshments and lunch will be provided. Please apply by June 7th. Applications from the Tacoma Frontline Communities will be prioritized.
Frontline Community Members are experiencing at least one of the following categories:
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)
Speak English as a second language
Low household income
Ages 16-26 or 59+
LGBTQIA+
Living with three or more generations in one home
Living with more than one family in one home
Living with a disability
Immigrant
Experiencing homelessness or housing instability
Completed formal education up to a high school/GED level
First or second-generation American
Experiencing food insecurity
Grant Park to Reservoir Neighborhood Walk
What can a walk from a park to a reservoir teach us about the relationship between trees, cities, and people? By connecting two apparently ordinary landmarks, this walk will help us make sense of the presence and absence of trees, about tree benefits, as well as the importance of cultivating native plants. Join Sarah Low and Alejandro Fernández on this bilingual walk through Hilltop and learn how to see your streets from a new perspective!
Remember to bring comfortable shoes and weather appropriate clothing so you can focus on enjoying the walk!
Meeting Point: Grant Park on S. Grant Ave.
¿Qué nos pueden enseñar un parque y un depósito de agua sobre la relación entre los árboles, la ciudad, y la gente? Sarah Low y Alejandro Fernández nos llevarán del parque al depósito de agua, dos sitios aparentemente ordinarios, para ayudarnos a entender cómo interpretar la ausencia y la presencia de los árboles, sus beneficios, y la importancia de cultivar plantas nativas. Acompáñanos en esta caminata bilingüe a través de Hilltop y aprende cómo ver las calles de tu barrio desde una nueva perspectiva.
Recuerda portar zapatos cómodos y vestirte de acuerdo al pronóstico del tiempo.
Punto de encuentro: Grant Park sobre S. Grant Avenue
Tree Share - Earth Day at Lincoln High School
Tacoma’s Lincoln Neighborhood is invited to join Lincoln High School’s Climate Change Club in celebrating Earth Day by sharing the gift of trees! Lincoln’s Climate Change Club members meet to discuss local climate change issues and tackle projects within the school and community. Support this partnership between the Tacoma Tree Foundation and Lincoln High School students by taking home trees and greening Tacoma’s Lincoln neighborhood.
Alling Park: Bilingual Neighborhood Walk
Did you know Alling Park was once a fruit farm? In fact, the Alling family was the first to ship apples from Washington to China! Frank Alling, farm owner, also happened to be passionate about wildlife and was well aware of our depleted urban forest, which is one of the reasons why he donated 10 acres of his farm to Metro Parks.
Bilingual Mindfulness Walk: China Lake Park
Join us as we welcome spring in a mindfulness walk at one of Tacoma’s wetlands, China Lake Park. In this walk, Sarah Low and Claudia Linares will help us wake up to the sounds of spring by practicing mindfulness as we listen to the trees, the Park’s wildlife–herons, finches, wrens, juncos, crows, amphibians, and more!--our breathing, and silence.
Bring comfortable shoes and dress according to the day’s forecast so you can enjoy the walk!
Meeting Point: South Shirley Street parking lot, just off of S 19th.
Acompáñanos en esta caminata de conciencia plena. Le daremos la bienvenida a la primavera en China Lake Park, uno de los humedales de Tacoma. Aquí, Sarah Low y Claudia Linares nos ayudarán a despertar a los sonidos de la primavera mientras practicamos la conciencia plena. Escucharemos nuestra respiración y los sonidos de los árboles, de la vida silvestre del parque (grazas, pinzones, carrizos, juncos, cuervos, anfibios y más), y el silencio.
Punto de encuentro: Estacionamiento de South Shirley St., a unos pasos de S 19th.
Tree Share - Donkey Creek Park
FREE TREES for Gig Harbor Residents
Donkey Creek Park - 8714 N Harbor Dr, Gig Harbor
Join your neighbors in welcoming spring and take home a new tree!
An Urban Forest For All Breakfast Fundraiser
This spring, we are fundraising to grow an urban forest that sustains us—all of us.
Trees and Wildlife
During this talk with Sarah Low, we will learn about the relationship between trees and other living organisms. We will discover some of the organisms that live in and around trees. We will scratch the surface of the soil to learn about mycorrhizae, we will crawl along the bark and branches to talk about ants, moths, butterflies, and bees, and we will fly around the leaves to discover birds and bats. We will learn how we can care for trees to encourage a diverse and thriving ecosystem.
Potting Party - Nursery Day
Our potting parties are held rain or shine. Parking is off-site with a volunteer shuttle. Tools, gloves, snacks and beverages will be provided.
Please feel free to share this link with friends who'd enjoy visiting with the community, playing with plants and trees and supporting Tacoma's urban canopy!
You will be emailed with more details the week before the event. And as always! Thank you for supporting Tacoma our greening efforts.
The Green Life around Trees
We love trees—and everything that happens in, on, and around them! Join Dr. Romey Haberle for a morning walk that will change the way you look at the ground around trees!
Earth Month Tree Giveaway
In honor of Earth Month, Puyallup Tribe Sustainability is teaming up with the Tacoma Tree Foundation to host a special tree share giveaway. A selection of native plant and tree species will be available for pick up at no cost. This is open to all tribal community - first come, first serve!
South Tacoma Tree Share
Join us to celebrate the completion of the South Tacoma Library mural and the joy and vibrancy it brings to our community!
Artist Dionne Bonner and her team will share the inspiration and process of creating the mural and will be joined by representatives from Tacoma Public Library and the City of Tacoma’s Office of Arts and Cultural Vitality. Tacoma Tree Foundation will be onsite to give away free trees to attendees! Please join us for this all-ages event.
South Tacoma Neighbors come to get a free tree!
Waterwise Wondering: How do trees protect water resources?
In this walk, Steven Quick will take us through and around McKinley Park to appreciate and discuss trees and their water-related benefits. Trees can help reduce urban temperatures by evaporating water and shading the area around it, but they also help reduce stormwater flooding and pollution. Some trees, however, might be better at this than others – can you guess which one of our native trees moves the most water on average? What about the tree that moves the most water in our wettest month? The trees will be waking up from their winter slumber just in time to give us all the answers!
Meet at the park where Upper Park Street, 31st St, and I Street [Map]
Steven Quick is a graduate student in the Master of Environmental Science program at Evergreen State College. Since 2016, Steven has been working on urban and remote land conservation and restoration projects aimed at restoring salmon populations across the state. His interests in forests and ecosystem services have led to his current work investigating trees as stormwater solutions and improving urban forestry research methods. He currently works as a research assistant for the Fischer Lab of Plant and Community Ecology at Evergreen, and a data management technician for Mount Saint Helens Institute.
Potting Party
Our potting parties are held rain or shine. Parking is off-site with a volunteer shuttle. Tools, gloves, snacks and beverages will be provided.
Please feel free to share this link with friends who'd enjoy visiting with the community, playing with plants and trees and supporting Tacoma's urban canopy!
You will be emailed with more details the week before the event. And as always! Thank you for supporting Tacoma our greening efforts.
Spring Wanderings: Walk and Haiku Comics Workshop
Join us for a Wander ‘n’ Draw celebration of spring that will begin with a bilingual mindfulness tree walk guided by Sarah Low and Claudia Linares and end with a haiku comics workshop! Then, we will return to King’s Books, where award-winning graphic novelist, David Lasky, will teach us how to turn our experiences of the walk into haiku comics! Refreshments between the events will be provided.
We invite you to attend both or one of the events, but we hope you can join us for both!
Bilingual Mindfulness Walk | 10:30AM at King’s Books
Our first walk of the season will meet at King’s Books and end at the W. W. Seymour Conservatory in Wright Park. With Sarah Low’s guidance, we will wander through the surrounding neighborhood streets to spot spring blooming in deciduous trees, admire how evergreens change in the light of spring color, and connect with nature.
Haiku Comics: Spring Trees | 12:00PM at King’s Books
Award-winning graphic novelist, David Lasky, will teach us how to turn our experiences of the sounds, sights, and smells of spring into haiku comics!
This event is possible thanks to Tacoma Creates.
Celebra la llegada de la primavera con nosotros uniéndote a una caminata de conciencia plena que terminará con un taller de haiku comics. La primera caminata de conciencia plena de esta temporada comenzará en King’s Books y terminará en el W.W. Seymour Conservatory de Wright Park. Nuestras guías Claudia Linares (Girasol Counseling) y Sarah Low (Strategic Nature) nos guiarán a través de las calles aledañas para admirar los retoños de los árboles de hoja caduca, cómo cambia nuestra percepción de los árboles perennes entre el color primaveral, y cómo conectarnos a la naturaleza y nuestro interior. Después volveremos a King’s Books, donde el galardonado artista gráfico, David Lasky, nos enseñará cómo traducir nuestra experiencia de la caminata en un haiku comic. Ofreceremos botanas entre cada evento.
¡Te invitamos a asistir a ambos eventos o sólo a uno, pero esperamos que puedas asistir a ambos!
Caminata de Conciencia Plena | 10:30AM en King’s Books
Haiku Comics: Arboles primaverales | 12:00PM en King’s Books
Este evento es posible gracias a Tacoma Creates
Green Blocks: Parkland-Spanaway
We are bringing trees to Parkland-Spanaway March 2024 with the support of Pierce County and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Residents of the Parkland-Spanaway designated census area can sign up to receive free trees for their property, as well as resources on tree planting and care through a Tree Stewards Training.
Our goal is to distribute hundreds of trees to homes in Parkland and Spanaway! This area has one of the lowest Tree Equity Scores in the state, so increasing the amount of tree coverage in this area will have impactful social and environmental benefits.
Potting Party
Our potting parties are held rain or shine. Parking is off-site with a volunteer shuttle. Tools, gloves, snacks and beverages will be provided.
Please feel free to share this link with friends who'd enjoy visiting with the community, playing with plants and trees and supporting Tacoma's urban canopy!
You will be emailed with more details the week before the event. And as always! Thank you for supporting Tacoma our greening efforts.
Green Blocks: Parkland-Spanaway Planting Event
Volunteers make Green Blocks possible! Join us.
March 16th - Planting Assistance Event: All ages welcome, no experience required. Join a planting team, lead by a trained tree captain, travel to local homes to get dirty and plant trees! Tacoma Tree Foundation’s planting assistance events help remove barriers to tree planting in our communities. We have a blast and couldn’t do it without our amazing volunteers!
Green Blocks is a program of the Tacoma Tree Foundation. Funds for this project were provided by the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program, administered through the State of Washington Department of Natural Resources Urban and Community Forestry Program. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Parkland-Spanaway Library Visit
Join us in person to learn more about Green Blocks: Parkland-Spanaway.
Under the Canopy
Rise, shake winter from your bones, and usher in spring with a daylong feria under Tacoma’s urban canopies — both arboreal and social. Feria offerings include a morning somatics and writing workshop; an afternoon community conversation and hands-on planting activity for families; and an evening baile led by DJs Smokey Wonder and YAYA-SOL.
Parkland-Spanaway Library Visit
Join us in person to learn more about Green Blocks: Parkland-Spanaway.
Traveling through Time with Trees: Exploring living fossils with Sarah Low
Join us to travel back in time as far as 290 million years ago to discover the trees that weathered time, and to consider the relationship between these older trees and the newer ones among us!
Hilltop Community Tree Share
Peace Lutheran Church Parking Lot
2106 S Cushman Ave, Tacoma, WA 98405
Tree Requests at Parkland-Spanaway Library
Join us in person to request trees for Green Blocks: Parkland-Spanaway. Receive in-person guidance requesting tree delivery and planting assistance.
Lunar New Year - Tree Share
You’re invited to the annual Lincoln District Lunar New Year celebration! Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with Lincoln District businesses and residents.
Tacoma Tree Foundation will be bringing free trees!
Lion Dancers will weave their way through the district setting off firecrackers and blessing businesses and you are invited to follow along! Dine in at one of the many restaurants or from food trucks. Shop with local makers at the pop-up marketplace and enjoy local DJs! Free parking is available at Lincoln High School.
Events | Lincoln International Business Association (lincolndistrict.org)
Tacoma's Urban Forest and You
Join us for a bilingual presentation co-hosted with the Tacoma Public Library Wheelock Branch, where we will explain urban heat island effect, why Tacoma's urban forest is unfair, and how tree care, strong tree policies, and alternative yards can help communities grow a greener future for all.
Acompáñenos en esta presentación organizada junto con la Biblioteca Pública de Tacoma, Wheelock, donde explicaremos el efecto de isla de calor urbana, por qué es injusto el bosque urbano de Tacoma, y cómo el cuidado de los árboles y las políticas públicas, los arbóreas y los jardines alternativos pueden ayudar a las comunidades a desarrollar un futuro más verde para todes.
Tree Stewards Training - Green Blocks Parkland-Spanaway
Do you care about Parkland? Want to increase Parkland’s tree canopy?
The Tacoma Tree Foundation offers a FREE Tree Stewards Training as part of our Green Blocks: Parkland-Spanaway program. This 5-hour training will include information on tree selection, planting, and pruning young trees. Participants will also learn how to communicate about trees with their neighbors and how to engage in the Parkland-Spanaway Green Blocks tree-planting event. Up to 25 tree stewards will receive the skills they need to take local action and engage with their communities about sustainability and stewardship. Each participant who completes the training will receive a $100 stipend.
Snacks, light refreshments and lunch will be provided. Applications Closed.
Sea & Sky Pre-Concert Panel and Concert
One of our favorite things? Taking care of the Earth and this beautiful Puget Sound region we call home. Canadian composer Marjan Mozetich’s expansive and moving Postcards from the Sky opens this program, which then features four outstanding local percussionists in Viet Cuong’s concerto for percussion quartet, Re(new)al, inspired by the renewable power of hydro, wind and solar energy. Debussy’s iconic La Mer, arranged by Marlijn Helder for chamber orchestra closes the program. We are delighted to collaborate with local organizations doing great work in our communities to combat the effects of pollution and climate change. Stay tuned for opportunities to connect with Tacoma Tree Foundation and Communities for a Healthy Bay around this concert.
Tree Walk: From the Forest to the Sea
A morning walk with Sarah Low that will explore the connections between the forest and the sea, followed by a NW Sinfonietta evening concert to celebrate the Puget Sound’s trees, watersheds, and marine and woodland creatures.
Port of Tacoma Planting
The trees of Northeast Tacoma might provide a backdrop to the Port of Tacoma, but the tide flats have the lowest tree canopy in the City. This is one of the many reasons we are partnering with the City of Tacoma and the Port of Tacoma to plant a row of trees. These trees will provide cleaner air and well-being for those who live and work in this neighborhood, as well as a habitat for birds, squirrels, and many other species.
The planting event is located in the Port of Tacoma along Marshall Ave.
Parking and the event will take place in the west side of the parking lot connected to this address: 2810 Marshall Ave B, Tacoma, WA 98421. Googling this address is unreliable. Click Here for Google Map Coordinates
9-10 am Volunteer Orientation and Program
10-1 pm Planting Event
Plenty of parking is accessible, in the parking lot at the planting site. Please bring your own water bottle and gloves if you have them. Dress for the weather and with sturdy shoes. TTF will provide all planting tools and equipment as well as light snacks.
Please share this registration link with everyone in your party over 18 years of age. Anyone under 18 may be included in the accessibility box at the bottom of this registration form and will remain under your supervision.
VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION CLOSES TUESDAY THE 16TH. Registered volunteers will receive a confirmation email on the 16th.