Tacoma has free trees for residents. Here’s how to sign up this summer
Want to add some green to your neighborhood? Tacoma residents have until September to apply to receive trees through the city’s free street tree program.
The annual Grit City Trees program opened its applications on Monday for city residents and property owners to procure trees as part of the city’s effort to increase Tacoma’s tree canopy cover. Applications for this program will close on September 3.
According to the city’s program website, Tacoma currently has one of the lowest assessed canopy covers in the Puget Sound region with 20% coverage. By 2030, the city aims to have increased coverage to 30%. Since 2016, the program has provided over 2,000 trees across Tacoma. Last year, the program gave out over 70 trees.
The website states that increased tree presence can improve the health of residents, capture and reduce air pollutants, and reduce temperatures and stress.
“Trees are good storytellers. They witness a lot and hold a lot of personal meaning to us as individuals,” Community Trees Program Coordinator Lisa Kenny said in an interview with The News Tribune Wednesday morning. “I know my first memory of a tree is the tree in my backyard that my grandma was obsessed with — a magnolia. Now every time I see a magnolia, I think of her. It connects us with one another in real time, but also across time, and I think that’s really fantastic.”
Kenny shared that Grit City Trees is a revitalized iteration of a previous program. After receiving community feedback about lack of education on maintaining trees, the program returned in 2016 with improved education materials and guidance on tree maintenance and care.
The program will be implementing two different application methods this year The first is titled “Tree Explorer” in which an applicant can provide brief written information about their “tree planting goals and desired tree characteristics,” from which an urban forestry staff member will select tree species on behalf of the resident. Tacoma residents should choose this option if they are unsure how to measure the right-of-way or planting space near their residence. Residents can see the extent of their right-of-way on the city’s tMap website, tmap.tacoma.gov.
“One piece of feedback I’ve heard is that the ‘planting plan’ piece can be complicated for some people, and so this year I’m trying out an option for people to essentially skip the planting plan,” Kenny said, in reference to the “Tree Explorer” application option. “After the application deadline closes, I’ll just go out to each of the homes where they’ve described their planting plan and take photo documentation myself.”
The second option is titled “Tree Selector.” Residents who choose this option should be willing to collect measurements of their right-of-way or planting strip. Additionally, they will need to upload a “planting plan.” They will also be asked to upload a photo that displays the placement of potential trees. In return, these residents will be able to select their preferred trees. Available trees for the 2026 cycle are listed on the city’s website.
Trees received from the city must be planted on the public right-of-way or a planting strip. If the program cannot fulfill all the requests, preference will be given to residents living in Priority Planting Areas. Prioritized areas are marked on Tacoma’s Equity Index as neighborhoods identified as “Moderate,” “Low,” and “Very Low.” The Equity Index map categorizes portions of the city based on 34 indicators spanning a large range of factors, such as income, voter participation and high school graduation rates. Data used to identify priority neighborhoods also takes into account current canopy coverage and urban heat island data.
Approved applicants should expect to receive their trees in October, with planting assistance scheduled for late October to early November. The program can accommodate free delivery for the first 150 trees, giving priority to those who live in Priority Planting Areas. The rest will have to pick up trees and materials from the city’s Plant Holding Facility at the Recycling and Transfer Center. Water supplies will arrive in May of the following year, with participants agreeing to water the trees every week for three years.
City spokesperson Maria Lee shared that the Tacoma Surface Water Utility Fund and the General Fund pay for various tree programs under the city’s Urban Forestry Program, including Grit City Trees. According to Lee, the General Fund dollars go to trees in priority areas, whereas the Utility funds go to trees outside of these areas. In 2025, the city spent approximately $89,000 of General Fund dollars for 698 trees in priority areas and $18,000 from the Utility Fund for 337 trees outside of priority areas.
