KCD is pleased to announce the results of the 2019 KCD Urban Forest Stewardship Project solicitation and selection process. Through this process, KCD has identified three communities to be served through the Urban Forest Stewardship Program. These community-based urban forest stewardship projects reflect interests and priorities in engaging and educating communities about the importance of stewarding urban forests, including private land stewardship.
Since inception of the program in 2015, KCD has worked with 30 of KCD’s 34 member jurisdictions to collaboratively identify and implement urban forest stewardship priorities. With the addition of the 2019 project selections, KCD and partners will implement a total of 37 urban forest stewardship projects through the Urban Forest Stewardship Program.
Read the transmittal of the working group’s final recommendations with the budget and partners.
City of SeaTac
Community Forest Stewardship at North SeaTac Park
SeaTac seeks a partnership with KCD to implement an urban forestry stewardship project within North SeaTac Park. SeaTac is one of three cities in the Airport Cities Ecology (ACE) Fund set up by the Port of Seattle. The Port retained Forterra to work with SeaTac, Des Moines, Burien to become Green Cities.
A major focus of the Green SeaTac Partnership is restoring and maintaining the current urban forest managed by SeaTac. North SeaTac Park is identified as a priority site as it holds roughly half of the forested public land in SeaTac. This community forest stewardship project will be a partnership between KCD, Forterra (on behalf of the Port), and the City of SeaTac.
City of Lake Forest Park
Private Landowner and Community Forest Stewardship
Lake Forest Park intends to partner with KCD to develop a Forest Stewardship program on two fronts: with multiple landowners along a riparian area and in a publicly-managed forest open space. Through the Tree Board, Lake Forest Park recently engaged with 17 private property owners along McAleer Creek for contract work to remove invasive ivy in trees. Lake Forest Park wants to take more comprehensive approach to further forest stewardship efforts with these landowners. Along with invasive species removal, support for site preparation, native species planting, maintenance and monitoring are necessary.
Lake Forest Park identified Grace Cole Nature Park as the demonstration site for educational workshops, on-the-ground restoration, and community stewardship to engage the larger community.
City of Snoqualmie
Quantifying Stormwater Benefit of Publicly Managed Forest
One of KCD’s most successful initial partnerships, Snoqualmie is moving forward with enhancing their urban forest through strong community stewardship in the Green Snoqualmie Partnership. Snoqualmie is requesting for technical assistance (TA) to help quantify (in dollars) the stormwater benefit of it’s 1,200-acre publicly-managed forest open space. While Snoqualmie has adopted an ordinance for the use of stormwater utility funds to support the urban forestry program, the quantified benefits are needed to secure the funding for the Green Snoqualmie Partnership.