Trees don’t just belong in forests — humans are meant to live close to nature! Trees naturally help mitigate climate change by retaining stored carbon in tree tissue and drawing in carbon dioxide (CO2). Urban tree canopy helps improve air quality and reduce heat effects for a more livable community, and can reduce the cost of stormwater facilities and the frequency and intensity of flooding. There are so many more benefits to having trees in high-density urban and suburban spaces!

Adding tree canopy to the fabric of the community improves livability, climate resilience, and builds a deeper connection to the place we call home.

Urban & Community Forests Program

The Snohomish Conservation District is working with the Cities of Everett and Marysville to plant several thousands of trees in targeted communities by the end of 2028. Join a community kick-off meeting to learn more and get involved in tree-planting in your neighborhood!

What’s an Urban Forest?

Whether in a city center, suburban neighborhood or a rural town, an urban (or community) forest is the universal term for the collective of trees and associated vegetation in a community—from backyards and streetscapes to native forest remnants, parks, and green open space.

Trees for Resilience Toolkit

Learn how trees can help mitigate stormwater runoff in urban spaces with our Trees for Resilience toolkit! This toolkit provides resources for city planners, professionals and leaders who are advocating for more tree canopy in their community.

Program Highlights

Featured
Snohomish Conservation District, City of Marysville team up to plant trees
Snohomish Conservation District, City of Marysville team up to plant trees

October was Urban and Community Forest Month! To celebrate, Snohomish Conservation District and the City of Marysville hosted a tree-planting ceremony at Comeford Park on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

Urban Street Trees at Henry M. Jackson Park
Urban Street Trees at Henry M. Jackson Park

This event kicked off the planting of several trees in the Delta Neighborhood of Everett and highlighted the ways that urban trees can reduce stormwater volume and filter water, while also providing wildlife habitat, shade, and improved air quality, human health, and livability.

This Handbook is Striving to Change Green Stormwater Infrastructure for Cities
This Handbook is Striving to Change Green Stormwater Infrastructure for Cities

The Puget Sound region is one of the fastest growing urban population centers in the United States, and the added concrete, metal and other impervious surfaces, coupled with tree loss, has increased stormwater runoff.