The city of Port Townsend is among the 45 recipients in Washington state to receive more than $8 million, collectively, to address their urban forestry needs. Of that, $5 million is from federal Inflation Reduction Act funds, and about $3 million from state Climate Commitment Act funds.

According to Will Rubin, communications manager of the Forest Resilience Division of the state Department of Natural Resources, that is 14 times more money than the previous high for a single grant cycle, and almost three times more money than the total awarded in Urban and Community Forestry grants since 2008.

Hilary Franz, commissioner of Public Lands, announced the Port Townsend grants at Sather Park before an audience that included Port Townsend Deputy Mayor Amy Howard, City Manager John Mauro, and Lead Parks Operator Bre Ganne.

Also in attendance were Robin Hill, Port Townsend Development Projects administrator and arborist; Rick Jahnke, president of Admiralty Audubon and a Port Townsend Planning Commission member; Deborah Jahnke, chair of the Port Townsend Parks, Recreation, Trees and Trails Advisory Board; and David Lubinski and Linda Lenz, the Community Partnerships leads with the Port Townsend School District.

Statewide, 122 applications totaling $23.7 million were submitted, 70 of them within what Rubin deemed “highly impacted, disadvantaged areas,” with 65 applications for projects emphasizing equity and environmental justice.

Of the Port Townsend grants, the state grant funding includes $349,000 for two urban forest restoration projects in public parks, with the goal of demonstrating the benefits and need to restore urban forests citywide.

That project proposal includes invasive species removal, urban tree planting, and a partnership with the Port Townsend Public Schools to include urban forestry and environmental justice modules in their science and math curricula.

Habitat for Humanity of East Jefferson County is also partnering on that project to see how it might help mitigate the loss of canopy to new construction of affordable housing, and potentially salvage some of the thinned vegetation.

Meanwhile, the city’s federal grant funding included $230,500 to plant street trees during road repairs and other road work in neighborhoods that are devoid of tree canopy, and $240,000 to develop an urban forestry plan and update the city’s tree conservation ordinance.

Port Townsend has a tree equity score of 71, and its two census block groups whose populations include 14% or more people of color have 13.8% less tree canopy than the city’s average, just as its four census blocks that average 5-10 degrees hotter temperatures during heat waves have 13% less tree canopy cover than the city’s average.

The national tree equity score is calculated at the neighborhood level based on census blocks to highlight inequitable access to trees. The score is calculated at the neighborhood level based on census block data. The 0-100 range is high to low, with a lower number meaning more trees should be planted, and 100 meaning enough trees. 

Michael Todd, facilities and parks manager for Port Townsend, noted that the city’s state-funded project was built around developing “community engagement and a strong partnership” with the Port Townsend School District.

“This project will demonstrate the feasibility, methods, and benefits of restoring a diverse mix of native trees in public parks in the city of Port Townsend,” Todd said. “We believe strongly that Port Townsend, and our project, will be a model for a community-and-parks collaboration that focuses on climate-resilient urban forests.”

Mauro stressed the need to “think of community well-being holistically” by addressing housing through the protection and enhancement of green space, encouraging more residents to live and work in the city, thereby reducing the environmental, financial, and social impacts from extended commutes.

“We may see trees come down for housing, but this urban forestry grant helps us be proactive about planting and dedicating green space, in a holistic way that’ll serve a growing population,” Mauro said. “We’re partnering with the school district to get youth involved, because they’ll inherit our decisions, and we want them to participate, now and into the future, in the shaping of their community.”

Mauro agreed on the importance of considering equity and fairness in the community’s access to green spaces, given “the wide range of physical and public health benefits that they accrue.”

“Access to clean air, shade and green spaces should be a basic human right, but the fact is that throughout our state, lower-income communities and communities of color more often live in neighborhoods with more concrete and asphalt, and too few trees,” Franz said. “We need to bring the same urgency we brought to our wildfire crisis to our efforts to ensure everyone lives in neighborhoods with adequate tree canopy. Trees and tree equity are essential for our quality of life. As temperatures rise and economic disparities widen, trees are no longer a nice-to-have, they are a must-have.”